The Highliner
by A Warrior's Prophet
Summary: Five years ago, a former Ranger disappeared out of the lives of those he called 'friend'. He shut himself off from everyone he knew and cared about. What made him change? What will he do when confronted with someone from his past? SLASH
1. What Was Lost Is Now Found

The Highliner

By A Warrior's Prophet

**Disclaimers**: No money is made from this story. The characters you recognize are the property of Saban—any you don't are from our fertile little imaginations.

**Summary**: Five years ago, a former Ranger disappeared out of the lives of those he called 'friend'. He shut himself off from everyone he knew and cared about. What made him change? What will he do when confronted with someone from his past?

**Authors' Notes**: Rated Mature for violence, language, and sexual situations. If you're not comfortable with slash, please hit that Back button now.

**Chapter 1**—**What Was Lost Is Now Found**

Jason pulled his bike into a spot and brought it to a stop before settling it into position. Swinging his leg over the seat, he stood there for a few minutes, looking over the cars in the lot. With a deep breath of the cool night air, he unzipped his leather jacket and ran a hand once more through his short, somewhat spiked hair.

It was different than his work look with the scrub top being replaced by a black T-shirt that clung to his chest like a second skin framed by the leather jacket. The dark blue of his jeans hugged his legs and left very little to the imagination. There was no wallet in his back pocket, leaving the view unobstructed. He might not have been as trim as he once was, but the years had been good to him and left him with a decent body. His money and ID rested in his left front pocket while his keys and phone were in the right. It left many to wonder how he was able to get the items in there the way the jeans fit.

He wore black leather biker boots and a simple black belt cinched his waist. With a last tweak to the silver hoop earring he wore, Jason strode towards the black doors of the club. In the background, the beat of the music competed for dominance against the crash of the waves as the tide started coming in.

Tonight he was there as just another patron, trying to leave a part of the day, or their life, behind if only for a few hours. As he pushed through the heavy doors, the former Gold Ranger nodded at the doorman and stepped through joining the crowd as he slowly worked his way towards the bar.

Strobe lights offered the only lighting aside from the lights on the underside of the bar, adding mystery to the atmosphere of The Highliner. A grin brought the bartender over and a wink got his order before several others. The shot was downed quickly before taking the beer and seeking out a secluded corner where he could watch the floor.

-o-O-o-

Sometime later, a jeep pulled into the parking lot of the same club. The driver had been told by the front desk of his hotel that The Highliner was a good place to hang out and meet people. The man had just gotten into town and didn't relish the idea of a long night alone in his room. Hearing the music coming from the dark building, the former Ranger Commander smiled slightly and checked his hair again quickly in his rear view mirror. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular in this club-he was just tired of being alone. He straightened his jeans and shirt after getting out of the jeep and headed toward the front door behind a couple who had parked near him.

After paying and showing his ID at the door, Tommy walked further into the darkened club, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the lighting-or lack thereof. He managed to spot the bar and headed for it, squeezing in between a couple of other men to place his order with the attractive bartender. Beer in hand, he turned back around to see if he could find an open barstool.

The gray eyes spotted the newcomer quickly and nodded towards him while leaning over to his friend. "He'll work and since I've never seen him around here, it's not likely he'll be missed." He grinned coldly. "Go get the room ready for our 'guest'."

Straightening up, he walked towards the bar, purposefully bumping the stranger's elbow as he slid his glass forward. "Sorry about that." He grinned, meeting the warm, chocolate eyes. "Kinda crowded in here tonight."

"Yeah, it is. First time I've been here-is it always like this?" Tommy asked, taking a drink of his beer and leaning slightly towards the other man so he could hear his response.

He laughed softly. "Gets worse when there's a live band and on Saturdays, but yeah, for the most part it's like this all the time." He nodded at the bartender, cutting his eyes towards his new 'friend', before taking a sip from his fresh drink. "So you said it's your first time here, are you looking for someone in particular?" He leaned in a little closer. "Or are you just looking?"

"Just looking mainly," he replied with a slight smile. He was old enough to know better than to give too much information to a complete stranger.

"Hmmm, you know I can help you stop looking for the night." He gave the man a soft smile.

Tom raised an eyebrow at the guy. "And just what did you have in mind?" He wasn't sure if this stranger was propositioning him or offering to introduce him to someone else. Tom figured he'd play along for the moment.

"How about I leave that up to you?" He leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against the other man's ear. "But I'm open for anything." He let a finger run lightly up and down the arm next to him.

The former Commander chuckled lightly. "And just what makes you think I swing that way?" Tommy had never thought that his orientation was evident to a casual observer. He did happen to be bi, but he wondered how this complete stranger could have picked up on this fact so quickly.

He laughed softly. "Because if you didn't, you would have swung at me by now or told me to get lost." He brought a hand up and let the back of it ghost over the slightly stubbled cheek. "So the ball's in your court, but I promise you that you'll have an unforgettable time with me tonight."

Taking a step closer, he rubbed his leg against the other man's, watching as a small shiver ran through his 'target'. _'Got him'_, he thought and then he leaned in again, putting his mouth against the stranger's neck, he nibbled lightly for a moment before pulling back to meet the other man's eyes.

Jason looked around. He hadn't really seen anyone he was interested in so far, but a couple might have promise if he could ever see their faces. One of them was leaning against the bar and seemed to be getting an interesting offer. Something about the stranger's posture was familiar to the Original Red Ranger, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

Taking a quick breath, Tommy looked at this very forward stranger. He wasn't one to pick up people in bars-it just wasn't his style. At the moment though, Thomas Oliver was feeling lonely and a bit sorry for himself and maybe this complete stranger could boost his self-esteem. "Well, we could talk about it. I'm not promising anything just yet though." He looked around for a quieter place. "Is there anywhere in here where we can hear ourselves think?" he asked, flashing a warm smile.

He returned the smile before nodding at the bartender. "Two more beers." When he got them, Brad made sure that the one on the right went to his new 'friend'. "Come on, I know a place we can go talk without having to scream." With a grin, he nodded his head towards a hallway just off to their left.

Taking the offered drink, Tommy followed the man around the bar and down the short hallway. He took a couple of long drinks of his beer, trying to calm his nerves just a bit. When they came to a doorway on the right, the former Ranger looked at his new friend and then followed him through the door.

As the two men departed, Jason was able to catch a glimpse of the one and felt his heart leap into his throat. "Tommy," the word was breathed out on a whisper as a myriad of emotions ran through him. He watched them walk down the hallway, numb as flashes of his past hit him full force.

Once the target was through the door, a dark-haired man clipped him over the head with practiced ease, watching their prey hit the floor like a sack of flour. Brad shut the door and locked it after two more men entered the room. It only took a few minutes to strip the man down to his boxers and tie him to the 'T'. The cold metal frame was open, allowing them access from all angles. With a cold grin, one of the men grabbed a bucket of cold water and threw it onto the man now bound and tied for their enjoyment. "Time to wake up, sweetheart."

The first thing Tommy was aware of was the blinding pain coming from the back of his head. The last thing he'd known, he was walking behind this guy that he'd just met. Now he struggled to open his eyes and realized that his arms were tied. "Wha-what're you doing? What's goin' on?" he managed to get out, but with difficulty. He pulled at the restraints that held his arms and found that he was bound tight.

A man with dark blond hair squatted in front of the bound man. "What's going on is that we are going to show you what happens to people like you." He grinned maliciously. "It'll be fun for us, but I seriously doubt you'll enjoy it."

Brad stepped forward into their captive's line of sight. "I told you I'd make tonight unforgettable for you."

Even through the haze caused by the blow to the head, Tom understood what they were getting at. He pulled harder at the restraints, trying his best to get away. "Why are you doing this? I haven't done anything to you!" he yelled as best he could. He legs were bound too, it seemed, as he couldn't seem to move them very well. "Don't...please," he said when he saw one of the men leering at him and coming closer.

Chuckling softly, the man slid his belt free of the loops. "Go ahead and scream. No one's gonna hear you over the music." He stepped behind him, letting the leather tease over his skin. For several minutes, he just let the cool leather of the strap caress the bound man and when he relaxed slightly, the man holding it drew it back and flicked it forward, striking sharply against the bare skin.

"Aaaagggghhhhhhh! ...Stop!" Tommy screamed, hoping that despite what they had said that maybe someone would hear him.

The man laughed, landing several more strikes in quick succession, not giving their prisoner time to catch his breath. When he finally saw blood, he stopped and nodded at Brad.

Brad moved forward and jerked the man's head up. "Now boy, you're gonna show us just what else you can do with that mouth."

Shaking his head, Jason left the rest of his beer on the table and started making his way across the club to the hallway. If it was Tommy, then he wanted to make sure his old friend was okay. There were times the activities in the private rooms could get a little out of hand and the doctor didn't want that to happen to his friend.

Tommy was gasping and moaning from the pain in his back. Fear was welling up inside him as he realized that there wasn't much he could do in his present situation. All those years of fighting bad guys from all over the universe and winning... now he was at the mercy of four or five deranged guys who seemed intent on beating the hell out of him. A terrible thought went through his head. _'I've seen their faces now. What are they gonna do with me after they're done?'_ he wondered, realizing that he might never see the dawn.

Brad nodded at one of the other men who'd been over in the corner. The man with jet black hair stepped forward, unbuttoning his pants and sliding the zipper down as he did. "Such a pretty mouth. Now it's time to see how much you want to live." He stopped in front of the man. "Suck me or I guarantee you won't like what happens next."

As scared as he was, Thomas Oliver wasn't about to let himself be used like that. "Fuck you!" he yelled, making the most menacing face that he could muster.

Growling, Brad struck the man hard, coming in from the side. "You'll do as he says or you're gonna know the meaning of the word 'fucked' my friend."

Tommy growled at them, attempting to let them know that he was gonna fight to the last. "Let me go!" he yelled, struggling against his restraints once more.

Brad struck him again and then grabbed hold of the back of his neck. "Keep fighting this and we'll put a collar on you, dog." He nodded at the other man, who stepped forward once again, pulling out his half-hard cock as he did. When it seemed the man bound before him was going to fight, another man stepped up and with Brad's help they held his head steady.

Jason finally found the only locked room and decided that no matter what, he was getting his friend out of there. Taking a step back, he raised a booted foot and with one hard blow sent the door flying inward. As he stepped into the room, he winced, recognizing Tommy and the state that he was in. "Let him go." His voice was cold, hard, and held a distinct air of command to it.

All of the men looked up in surprise when Jason busted the door down, half-expecting it to be the police. "And just what are you gonna do if we don't?" one of them asked in defiance.

Tommy had heard a loud voice and noticed that his attackers had taken notice, but he was unable to turn his head to see who had busted in.

Shrugging, the former Gold Ranger settled into a loose fighting stance. "Guess I'm gonna get a workout today after all." When the first man stepped forward, Jason took him out quickly with a round kick to the head. Before he was fully recovered from delivering the stunning kick, he heard movement behind him and struck out with a punishing back kick. That left three other men in the room. "Your best bet is to try and leave before the cops get here." A wicked grin split his face. "And since I'm sometimes a bouncer here, trust me; they'll believe what I say."

Brad stood up, delivering a backhand to their prisoner before removing and wrapping his own belt around his hand. "Well then, bring it on asshole."

Tom tasted blood from the cuts to his mouth and still felt what had to be blood running down his back. He knew that someone had shown up to help him, but he still had no idea who it was or if he could take on all these men by himself. While they were distracted, the former Ranger tried again to get loose, pulling at the ropes that bound his wrists to the metal frame.

Settling in, Jason faced the man before him and realized that if he took this man down, the others might leave quietly. "Relax bro, it'll be okay." It was the first words he'd spoken to his friend in over five years and to just get them out allowed a calm to spread through him.

Brad's eyes narrowed as he realized that the two men knew each other and swung wildly, but as that blow was deflected, the man hammered in the belt wrapped hand to the wanna-be savior's ribs.

_'I know that voice,'_ Tommy thought momentarily as he continued to struggle. He didn't have time to concern himself with that right now, however. He knew that the man that had lured him back to this torture chamber was now fighting with the newcomer. _'I gotta get outta here...no matter what, I gotta get loose.'_

Jason grunted as he moved with the blow only to drive his elbow into the guys face, breaking his nose. The Original Red Ranger gave no quarter as he delivered blow after blow until the other man was senseless on the floor. Glaring at the remaining men, Jason could feel the blood from a lucky blow to the side of his head running down near his eye. "You've got two choices: join your friends on the floor or get the hell out of here. The cops will be told, I promise you, but at least you'll have a sporting chance."

Deciding that maybe tonight was not the night to push their luck, the remaining attackers wasted no time in running out the door, hoping to get away from the club fast enough not to be caught by the police.

Having no idea that he was now alone with Jason, Tommy was still fighting for everything he was worth to get free of his restraints. "Help me, please...oh God, please let me get loose," he pleaded as he fought.

Slowly, Jason moved closer to his friend. "Tommy, easy man. You're safe now, bro."

"Help me! Whoever you are, please...get me loose!" he said with desperation in his voice.

Sinking down on one knee, he knelt beside his friend. "Falcon, relax for me and I'll get you out of there. Trust me like you did the day we got you away from Rita."

At last, recognition came to Tommy as he turned and looked into the face of his old friend. "Jase? How did... oh God, get me outta here, Jase!" he cried.

"I'm going to, but you need to be still for me so that I can make sure letting you go isn't going to hurt you." He moved closer, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder as he pulled a knife from his boot. "Hold still for me Tom." Before cutting his friend free, Jason made sure that there was no skin in danger of being severed. After the man's hands were free, Jason stood up and moved behind him. He winced at the lash marks that marred the heavily muscled and inked back, but quickly undid the shackles holding the former Ranger to the floor. Only then did the cut the last ropes. "All right, I'm going to help you take a seat on this bench before we work on getting out of the club, okay?"

Tom nodded and allowed Jason to do as he wished, trusting him completely. As he moved, he grimaced and whimpered slightly, his back causing him considerable pain. He closed his eyes and tried to get past it so that he'd be some good to Jason as they tried to get out of the building.

Kneeling in front of his friend, Jason carefully lifted his chin up. "Tom, I need you to open your eyes and look at me." His voice was gentle, but carried a tone that demanded the small order be obeyed.

The large brown eyes opened, focusing on the Original Red Ranger's face. "Where are my clothes?" he asked in a low voice, feeling ashamed at being found in such a state.

"They're on the floor behind me. I'll give you your pants and shirt, but I gotta tell you man, your back is a mess. Now you've got a choice-I can take you to the hospital and let them check you out." He paused for a moment, not wanting to overwhelm the man. "Or I can take you back to my place and clean you up there."

Considering his options for a moment, Tommy finally decided that he couldn't take the embarrassment of having to explain what happened to him to nurses and doctors. And if the medical report got back to his employers on the Reefside School Board, he could very well lose his job. "Your place... please," he said, almost pleading with his longtime friend.

"Alrighty then, let's get you dressed. We'll leave through the back. It'll be a longer walk to get back to the front of the club, but it'll be easier than trying to work our way through the crowd."

It took several minutes, but finally Jason had helped Tommy back into his clothes and onto his feet. "Okay Tom, let's get you out of here." He slid an arm around the former Ranger Commander's waist, being careful to keep his hands away from the raw area. "I hope you have a car because I rode my bike here."

Tommy felt his pants pockets to make sure his wallet and keys were still there. Miraculously, they were. "Yeah, my jeep is outside. What are you gonna do about your bike?" he asked, limping a bit and leaning into Jason's body for support.

"Sometimes I do a little bouncer work here. If the doormen see my bike still here at closing, they'll put it in a small fenced area for me to pick up later." He laughed softly. "Wouldn't be the first time that I've taken a cab home."

By the time they reached the Jeep, Jason could tell the other man was in pain. "It's about ten minutes to my place and once we get there, I can give you something for the pain."

Tommy just nodded. He needed help to get into the passenger side of the Jeep and once seated, he tried to rest as much as he could. He knew that his shirt was sticking to the blood on his back. All he wanted to do was lie down somewhere safe.

Once he was in the Jeep, Jason buckled them both in and headed for his place. He slowed down as he came to the road that headed towards the small house near the beach. It was quiet, close to town and offered him a place to meditate and workout without having to spend a fortune. As they got closer, a loud bark was heard and a large yellow lab followed by a slightly smaller dog came to greet the vehicle. Jason pulled a remote out of his jacket pocket and opened the garage, driving straight in with the dogs following. After turning the car off, he climbed out as the door started closing and the lights inside came on automatically. "All right you two, go lay down." He gave them each a quick scratch before pointing to a corner that was one big dog bed. "Bed." The pair went and lay down, watching their master and this new person with interest. Coming up to the passenger side, he grinned at Tommy. "They're a little nosy, but have a bark that's a lot worse than their bite."

The former Green Ranger loved dogs, but right now he couldn't care less. He grimaced and groaned as Jason helped him from the Jeep, leaning once more on his friend. "Hurts," was all he could get out, finding it harder to walk now than before.

"It's about 50 feet to the den. I need to get you at least there before I can start to help you." He slipped his arm back around his friend's waist, frowning at the wetness he found there, but said nothing. He opened the door leading into the house and flicked on the light. Slowly, he made his way through the utility room and into the den. With an ease born of years of practice, he helped his friend take a seat on the solid wood coffee table. "I'd let you sit on the couch, but I've got to be able to get to your back." Jason stepped back a bit. "Will you be okay for a few minutes? I don't want you to do anything but sit here."

Tommy sat leaned forward with his hands on his knees, trying to stay upright. "Yeah, but not for too long," he said, his breathing becoming more labored. He groaned again and let his head hang down, unable to hold it up anymore.

"I'll be quick." Shaking his head as he jogged through the house, Jason was starting to think that maybe he should have taken his friend to the hospital. With a soft sigh, he grabbed the two bags he used when he rode on the rig before going to the bathroom where he filled a basin with water and grabbed a towel. Going back into the living room, he set the items down on the floor. "Okay Tom, looks like my night off from the hospital is still going to make me keep in practice." He slid on a pair of gloves and grabbed the trauma shears from his bag. "I'm just gonna cut your shirt off and where it's sticking to your back, I'm going to wet with some saline so it'll come off easier."

Tommy nodded slowly and groaned softly again. The muscles in his arms were beginning to quiver, letting Jason know that he wouldn't be able to hold himself up much longer.

When he had most of the shirt off, Jason set the shears down. "Come on, let's get you laying down on the couch." Carefully, he pulled his friend forward and then up, taking most of his weight before easing Tommy facedown onto the couch. He turned the bruised face to the side and slid a pillow under Tommy's head. "I need you to talk to me, T. Where all does it hurt besides your back?" Opening a bottle of saline, he slowly started to pour it onto the material still stuck to the shredded back.

"My jaw and my mouth hurt. That's it besides my back. God only knows what would've happened to me if you hadn't gotten there, though." He tried his best to relax as much as possible so that Jason could help him.

"Yeah well, I've got a pretty good idea and tomorrow, we'll both have to file reports with the cops." As he let the solution work on the stuck clothes, Jason started to exam his friend. When he came to the knot on the back of Tommy's head, he frowned. "Did you lose consciousness Falcon?"

"Yeah, I must have. One minute I was fine and the next I was tied up. They must've hit me over the head with something."

"I really should have taken you to the hospital." He sighed. "Well, it limits what I can give you for pain, but there are a couple of things that I'll do to make what I can give you more effective." He moved into Tommy's line of vision. "Guess it's time for me to actually put that medical degree I've got to use, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry about this, Rex. I didn't mean for any of this..." he started to say but trailed off when the pain got worse and he groaned. "Ah damn..."

"Easy Falcon," He started digging in his smaller bag. "I need you to rate the pain for me."

"It's about an 8 in my back and about the same in my head. My face is feeling like a 5 or so."

"All right, I'm going to give you a mild pain killer combined with an anti-inflammatory plus a mild muscle relaxer. Everything combined, it should help reduce the pain and take care of some of the swelling that's likely to happen. The muscle relaxer will help with your back by reducing the tension in the muscles there." As he talked, the former Gold Ranger worked fluidly, drawing up the required meds and gathering the things he'd need to give the injection. "I'm gonna give this to you in your hip. It'll act pretty quickly, but I need you to keep talking to me."

"Okay, I'll try," Tom said and then whimpered a bit, unable to hold it back. "How bad does my back look?"

Setting the cap back on the used syringe, Jason sighed. "I'm not gonna lie to you, bro. Right now, your back's a mess, but I'm not sure how much of it is just from blood that's been smeared around and how much of it is actual damage. Once I get the rest of your shirt off and clean the area up a bit, I'll know better." He tested a bit of the soaked material and found it gave easily. "Here we go." Bit by bit, he slowly removed the bloody remains of his best friend's shirt.

"Go ahead," Tommy said wincing and grimacing as Jason began to peel the cloth away. He groaned several times when the pain got to him, but tried his best to stay still. "You almost done?" he asked after several minutes.

"Almost. There's one piece that's sticking to one of the deeper cuts." He grabbed the saline bottle and poured some more onto the area, feeling the material give and he was able to remove it the rest of the way. "That's the last of it." Putting the ruined shirt aside, he grabbed the towel and started gently patting the area dry so he could see what he was doing. "Well, most of the bleeding's stopped, which is good."

"Gonna need stitches, I guess, right?"

"Only in a few places, most of the cuts are just superficial." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I hope you've gotten used to sleeping on your stomach because for the next couple of weeks you'll be doing a lot of it."

"Oh great. Sleeping on my stomach usually makes my back really stiff. I'm a side-sleeper, usually," he groaned.

"If you sleep on your side, you're going to have to be really careful, especially after I put the stitches in."

"Great, well...just be careful of the ink. I spent a lotta money on those tats," he said, shaking his head a bit. After a moment of listening to Jason chuckle, he suddenly realized what his old friend had said. "Wait a minute...YOU'RE gonna put the stitches in?"

"Yep, I sure am," Jason answered.

"Bro, I know you're an EMT and all, but... can you do that?"

"Tom, I stopped being just an EMT after that last mission together. I'm a doctor now, so yeah, I can do that." Reaching out, Jason grabbed a bottle and opened it, pouring a little into the water he'd brought from the bathroom. "Now, I need to clean these cuts up before I can do anything else."

"You're a doctor? A real doctor? No fuckin' way..." Tom said, momentarily forgetting about some of the pain. He turned as best he could to look at Jason.

"For a few years now. The Peace Conference courses let me skip almost a full year of college. Got my associate's about a year after I left you guys as a Ranger." As he talked, he worked on cleaning the cuts. "I went to school and took extra courses so that I finished out my bachelor's in little over a year. The college fund mom and dad set up for me helped a lot and I worked on the weekends for extra money. I'd finished my third year of med school when I went off to help you guys on the Red mission. Finished my residency here in Seattle a couple of years ago."

"But why didn't you say anything the last time I saw you? We talked several times during that mission... Oww!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Jason's hand slipped as he fought to keep a handle on his emotions. He knew that Tommy deserved an answer to that question, but he also knew that now was not the time for total honesty. "Sorry about that. As for why, I don't know. Maybe because I was afraid you'd laugh at me or call me a fool. Wouldn't be the first time someone I thought I knew did it, so I just kept quiet."

"Bro... I would never do that," Tommy said softly, looking over his shoulder at his friend. "I think it's great that you're a doctor-really cool." He stopped and took a deep, staggered breath as the pain hit again. "I always knew you were smart enough to do whatever you wanted."

"Yeah well, some would disagree with you about that." He finished cleaning the former Ranger Commander's back and shook his head. "That asshole really knew how to use that belt. It makes me wonder how many times they've done this sort of thing before."

"You hang out in that place often?" Tom asked, shivering at the thought of what might have gone on in that room. "Doesn't seem like your kind of place."

Snorting, Jason began drying off the wounds and then opened up a suture kit for the deeper cuts. "Things change bro and like I said, I do some work there as a bouncer."

Tom didn't know what to make of that comment right away and didn't much feel like delving into Jason's private life right at the moment. "Okay well, we can talk about it later." He took another deep breath, trying to make himself relax some. "Does it look any better now that you've cleaned it?" he asked, wanting to know how bad his back still was.

"Not really. All of the cuts and welts are still really red and inflamed. That'll take a couple of days to really go down." The man made sure that a couple of needles were threaded before he picked up a syringe. "I'm going to numb the area that I need to work on, so it'd be good to know if you're allergic to Lidocaine."

"Not that I know of- don't think I'm allergic to anything," he answered, wincing at the thought of another needle. "Make it quick, bro- you know I hate needles."

Laughing softly, Jason shook his head. "Oh yeah, I know, although I think Billy would have liked a warning before you almost took his head off when he was trying to give you that shot to help your ribs heal faster." Shaking his head, the Original Red Ranger worked quickly, injecting several areas with the numbing liquid before setting the empty syringe aside. "Let that work for a couple of minutes. How's the pain?"

"Not quite as bad as before, but it's still there, believe me."

"Right now I can't give you anything stronger because of the blow you took to the head. Most likely it gave you a concussion." He sighed softly. "Once I get done with your back, you should try to get a little sleep. Every couple of hours, I'll wake you up, just to make sure you're okay. Tomorrow, if you're still okay head wise, I'll see about something stronger, which I'm sure you'll need."

"Me? Be okay 'head-wise'? Riiight," Tommy said.

Snorting, Jason shook his head. "Okay, you're right about that, but still. Now try to hold still." He grinned wickedly. "Been a while since I had to do stitches on someone."

"Oh great... out of practice, doc?" Tommy said with a grimace, feeling the pulling at his skin.

"Not really, just most of the time when I do stitches on someone, I haven't had two shots of Jack and had been working on a third beer when I decided to find out if it really was an old friend I'd seen get taken into a back room."

"Well yeah, that's true, I guess. I'm so glad you were there, though. I might be dead right now if you hadn't."

"Maybe not dead, but probably wishing it." He swallowed hard. The ER had been alerted by the cops several weeks ago about a series of gay bashings and rapes that had been taking place in the city. To know that he might have stopped his best friend from becoming one of their numbers sent a shiver through the man.

"I'm just so tired," the former White Ranger mumbled. "And my head hurts."

"I'm almost done and then you can get some rest." True to his word, it only took the doctor a few more minutes to finish the stitches. After applying some antibiotic ointment to the wounds, Jason bandaged the entire area, taping it in place for now. "All right Tom, get some rest for now, okay?"

"Okay. Come over here so I can see your face," he requested, the fatigue evident in his voice. When Jason took a knee in front of him and looked into his face, Tommy continued. "Thank you for helping me, bro. I've missed you."

A thrill shot through Jason at those words, but he pushed it down. "I've missed you too and you're welcome." Reaching out, he placed a hand lightly on his friend's neck. "Now, get some rest."

Tommy smiled weakly and let his heavy eyelids close at last, falling asleep in a matter of minutes. He had been a bit tired from driving before he had even gone in the club, and that beating had really taken it out of him.

When he saw the eyes finally close, Jason stood up and ran a shaking hand through his hair. So many emotions and thoughts ran through him and it was hard to concentrate. Almost robotically, he started cleaning up the mess he created by treating his friend. When he was done, Jason went to take a shower and then he had to find clothes for Tommy as well as make up the bed in the guestroom.

-o-O-o-

After the linens had been changed, Jason walked back out into the living room to check on his patient. The former Green Ranger was sleeping peacefully and being very still. _'Well, that's a good sign,'_ the young doctor thought as he laid a hand softly on Tommy's dark hair. _'How do you always manage to get yourself into these things?'_ he wondered, a sad smile starting in the corners of his mouth.

_'Guess I'd better make something for us to eat. He's gonna need something in his stomach._' Jason moved into the kitchen and started rummaging through the refrigerator and pantry. Once he'd settled on what to make, Jason pulled out the necessary ingredients and pans. While he was stirring the pasta sauce, his mind was coming up with all sorts of questions. _'Why did Tommy show up in that particular club tonight? Why is he in Seattle in the first place? Is it just coincidence or did he come looking for me?'_

He sighed heavily and cut up the leftover chicken he had from the night before. Tossing it into a pan, he added a little seasoning to the meat as it heated up. He'd add it to the Alfredo sauce before serving to make the meal a bit heartier for them both. As he worked next on the bread, his thoughts once again turned to his sleeping friend.

He thought about how things had changed in the years since he'd seen the man that he'd once called his best friend. In making his decision to seemingly disappear, Jason had lost touch with where his old friends were and what they were up to. He realized that he had no idea what Tom did for a living, if he had been married, or if he even had any kids. _'Well, if he is then things must not be going very well if he's up here by himself in a bar.'_ He made a mental note to look for a ring or a tan line of a ring on his friend's left hand. He'd gotten lost in thought once more when he heard the faint sound of a voice from the living room.

Tommy had woken at the smell of the food cooking and after trying and failing to get himself up; he'd called out for Jason.

Turning the heat down, Jason tossed a towel over his bare shoulder. After his shower, he'd put a bruise cream and muscle rub on his side where the lead guy had hit him and hadn't wanted to get any of it on his shirt. He double checked the sauce before going into the den. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"My back, head, and face hurts," Tommy groaned, turning his big brown eyes up to look at his friend.

"I bet they do. After we eat, you can take a couple of Aleve. They won't bother you combined with what I've already given you." He knelt so that he was in the former White Ranger's eye line. "Want to try sitting up?"

"I suppose. Are you cooking? Something smells good," Tommy said, trying to get his mind off the pain.

"Yeah, Chicken Alfredo with some garlic bread. Mom gave me the recipe for it." Jason slid an arm under his friend's chest. "All right, let's get you sitting up, then I'll wrap an Ace wrap around the bandages. With that and a pillow behind you, it shouldn't be too bad for you to sit up and eat."

"Okay, go ahead," he said, bracing himself for the pain he knew was coming. It turned out not to be as bad as he had feared with the worst pain coming when he twisted slightly. "Okay, that's good," he said when he was able to hold himself upright on the couch.

"All right, let me get the wrap." Reaching into his jump bag, Jason removed one and nodded at Tommy. "Hold your arms up as much as you can. I'll help support your weight."

"Alright, I'll do the best I can." Tommy lifted his arms up slowly, stopping when the extension pulled at the skin on his back. "Ooh, that's about it," he told Jason, grimacing and whimpering from the pain.

"That's fine." Moving quickly and efficiently, Jason wrapped the elastic bandage around his friend's body, holding the bandages securely in place. "Shirt next." He grabbed the shirt that he'd found for Tommy and helped the man get it on before setting a pillow behind him. "Okay, let's sit you back slowly."

Once he'd come to rest against the back of the couch and was resting comfortably, he looked up at Jason. "Much better- thank you so much. Appreciate the loan of the shirt."

"Yeah well, just glad it fits." He took a seat on the coffee table facing his friend. "I mean, you've bulked up a little bit since the last time I saw you."

"A little bit, yeah. I'm about 215 now. Not much else to do but workout," Tom said in a flat tone.

"Can understand that." He stood up. "Give me a couple of minutes and I'll be back with dinner for us." The former Gold Ranger started for the kitchen. "What do you want to drink?"

"I don't care- water, tea, Gatorade- doesn't matter," Tommy answered, shifting slightly and wincing.

"Okay, just don't try to move a lot." Shaking his head, he got down two cups and set about making them both a cup of tea to go with dinner. Several minutes later, he headed back into the den with a laden tray. "Here we go." Setting it down on the table, he looked over at his friend. "The tray you can use after I get my plate and cup off of it. That way you don't have to reach for anything." Removing the mentioned items, Jason straightened the legs on the tray before placing it over Tommy's lap. "Hope you like it."

"It looks great, Jase. Thanks." He paused for a moment and then looked back up at his friend. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"Tom, you're a friend. It's not any trouble and aside from that, I know you'd do the same for me if you could."

The former White Ranger took a drink of his tea. "Mmm, Mama Scott's tea... I still remember that taste," he said with a smile. "And yeah, you're right. If I could, I'd do the same for you. I actually AM a doctor too, did you know that? Just not the same kind," he grinned.

"I knew that you were going to school, but not for what." He took seat in the chair next to his friend. "So what kind of doctor are you?"

"Paleontology," he said with a smile. "I'm a dinosaur doc."

"Figures." At his friend's puzzled look he explained. "When you first came over to our side, you were always trying to get more information on the Zords because you said that they gave you a chance to see how some dinosaurs might have moved."

Tommy thought about that for a moment, then smiled. "You're right, I had forgotten about that. Good memory." He started in on his food, having to be careful of his sore, cut mouth. "Mmm, the sauce is great, bro."

"Thanks. Like I said, Mom gave me the recipe. I figured this would be easier on your mouth than a tomato-based sauce or pesto."

He nodded while taking another careful bite. "So, you live here by yourself or what?" he asked, giving voice to one of the many questions that were starting to run through his mind.

"Yeah, I keep pretty erratic hours sometimes, which is why I got the dogs, but the place is mine and it backs right up to the beach. Got some really beautiful sunset views." Figuring it was time to get some of his own answers, Jason took a drink of tea. "So what brings you to Seattle?"

Tommy stopped mid-bite with the fork still in his mouth. After a moment, he put the utensil down and swallowed the food so that he could talk. Looking up into Jason's face, he fixed his eyes on him. "Looking for you, actually."

That took the other man by surprise. "Me? Why were you looking for me?"

"Well, it's a lot to go into right now, but the short version is that once the school year was over- I'm a high school teacher, by the way- I decided that I needed to get outta town for a while. My last relationship ended kinda badly and I don't have any family close to where I live, so I've been really lonely lately. I decided to take a road trip and when I told Andros about it, he told me that you were here. I figured I'd try to look you up while I was here."

"And you come to a state where we're lucky if we get a day of sun each week to cheer you up?" He laughed softly. "Sorry bro, I don't mean to laugh. Believe me, I'm glad to see you, but I don't think this is quite how you were expecting the reunion to go."

"You got that right. And again, I'm sorry to put you to so much trouble. If you want to take me to the hospital tomorrow, I can stay there for a few days until I can leave on my own. I don't want you to think that you have to take care of me." Tommy dropped his gaze and went quiet.

Setting his plate aside, Jason went down on a knee in front of the man he still considered the closest thing he'd ever have to a brother and reached out, putting a hand beneath the stubbled chin and tilting upwards slightly. "Tom, look at me."

After a moment, those chocolate brown eyes looked up, slightly hooded by long black lashes. He still didn't speak, but looked into Jason's face.

"You are not a bother and there is no way I'm taking you somewhere to get better when you can do that perfectly well right here." He sighed softly. "I'm sorry that I haven't stayed in touch, but I promise it was not because of anything you did."

"Really? Because ever since the last time I saw you I've been trying to figure out what happened to make you disappear like that. I kept thinking that I must've said something wrong or you took something wrong or... something."

Shaking his head, it was Jason's turn to lower his eyes. "Like I said, it had nothing to do with you, Tom." He wasn't ready to tell his friend why he had left so abruptly after the last mission. They were supposed to get together for drinks a couple hours after Tommy had left to take care of something, but Jason never showed. Instead, he headed back to Colorado to finish packing for his move to Seattle. He never called anyone except his parents to let them know where he was going.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Tom nodded. "Okay well…maybe you can tell me what did happen then…whenever you're ready." He stopped and sighed. "I don't wanna pry."

"Thanks, and I promise, I will tell you." He raised his eyes again, meeting those of his best friend and gave him a sad smile. "For now, let's eat. You need the food after what happened."

"Yeah, you're right." He picked up his fork and started again on his food, watching Jason out the corner of his eye. "So... you work at a hospital, I'm assuming; you live here alone; you go to dangerous bars... what else goes on with you, bro?"

Shrugging, Jason re-took his seat. "I ride on the ambulances sometimes, especially when there's a lot of trauma in a situation, like accidents and fires. Still ride my bike, except when it gets really cold and then I break out the SUV. Other than that, I run and workout, there's a dojo about twenty minutes from here where I go and teach sometimes. Pretty much what I do."

"That's more exciting than my life, I promise. Like I said, I teach school, I work out, I train- Muay Thai mostly- and that's about it. My social life is pretty non-existent these days."

"Well, I only go to the bar on my nights off and sometimes it's to go there to work. So I don't have much more of a social life than you." He finished eating and set his plate aside, but took a drink of tea before continuing. "And you've at least dated recently."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Please, don't remind me. This last one was a mistake." He stopped and shook his head. "I can't believe you haven't though, handsome man like yourself..."

"Partially because I don't have the time and another part is that I haven't found someone I really like." He grinned. "I mean, you know how it is, gotta like the package before you're willing to do any digging."

"Yeah, that's very true. My last was a friend of mine that I never should have started dating. I think we can still be friends, but I don't know yet. She's still acting pretty weird."

"Acting weird how?" He paused. "If you don't mind me asking that is."

"Well, it's just that what she says and the way she acts doesn't make sense." He sighed. "See, she broke up with me, not the other way 'round. Says that we should go back to just being friends like we were before. But every time I see her, she acts cold toward me or tries to ignore me. Women."

"Did she know that you were bi before you started dating or did you tell her after you were dating?" He'd had similar conversations that left him slapped since coming to terms with his own sexuality, something he still needed to talk to his friend about, but now was not the time.

"Yeah, she knew about it. We'd been friends for years and she was around when I was seeing Anton, the last guy I dated. None of that seemed to bother her until a few months before we broke up." Tom stopped and took a deep breath and shook his head.

Leaning forward, the former Gold Ranger frowned at his friend. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just don't know how much of this you want to hear."

"I'm here for you Tom, so tell me as much as you feel comfortable with." Getting up, he moved over to sit on the couch next to the man, hoping that his presence would allow him to draw the necessary strength to tell him.

Tom gave his friend a sad smile. "Well, once we started to get more serious, the physical stuff started to bother her. Even though she knew I was bi before we started dating, all of a sudden she couldn't bring herself to be with me because I'd been with a guy. Said she couldn't get the visual images out of her head."

"Damn, I'm sorry, bro." He put a hand on Tommy's shoulder, being careful to avoid any of the wounds on his back. "You said that she still wanted to be friends, but can you honestly see yourself still being friends with her? I mean, I don't know the woman, but it's like she's saying one thing, but then doing something totally different."

"I know and I really don't know if I can be friends with her anymore. Like I said, we never should've started it in the first place. So that's how my last relationship ended." He stopped and yawned, the fatigue starting to take hold of him again.

"I am sorry, bro." He looked at his friend. "Come on, let's get you to an actual bed and into a pair of sleep pants. Tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it, you can get a shower or a bath."

"Okay. That'd probably make me feel better," Tom said. "You have a guest room, I take it."

"Oh yeah, all the comforts of home." Chuckling softly, he slowly helped Tom to his feet. "This place has two bedrooms, a study, living room, dining room, a den and two full baths. There's also a utility room, garage, deck and a path that leads down to the beach."

"Very nice. I'd like to see your beach when I'm able to walk by myself," he smiled.

"I think that can be arranged." Entering the guest room, he helped his friend over to the bed and let him sit down. "Okay, we can do this one of two ways: A) You struggle to change your pants on your own and possibly open the cuts on your back up; or B) I help you change."

"You can help me change. My God, Jase, how many times have we seen each other naked over the years," he said with a chuckle. "Why are you so reserved with me now?"

The Original Red Ranger blushed. "Sorry…habit, you know? With the patients and all." It was the truth, but not all of it. At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with his best friend and hold him, be by his side if and when any nightmares brought about by tonight's actions came up. It wasn't the time, however, and until it was, if it ever was, those feelings had to be pushed aside.

"Oh yeah, I can see where that would happen," Tommy said with a chuckle. "It's okay, though- help me with these jeans."

"No problem." It took a few minutes, complete with his hands landing in places that made him glad he was wearing loose pants himself, but Tommy was finally in the sleep pants. "If you think you can stay upright for a few moments alone, I'll go get that Aleve for you."

"Yeah, I should be able to sit here for a couple minutes," Tom said, holding himself up. He watched Jason walk out of the room, wishing he knew what was going on with his old friend.

Once out of the room, Jason stopped and leaned against the wall before running a shaking hand through his hair. It was torture being that close to his friend and not being able to truly touch him. He took a deep, shuddering breath before going into his bathroom and grabbing two of the pills for Tom after taking two himself. The doctor made a detour into the kitchen and grabbed a sport bottle of Gatorade before going back into the guest bedroom. "Here ya go. Figured you could use the fluids too and in the sport bottle you can drink it easier." He handed both items to the former Green Ranger.

"Oh, thanks. Yeah, that will make it easier since I'm gonna be on my stomach." He tossed the pills back into his mouth and took a drink to wash them down. "So, can you help me lay down, bro?"

"Yeah, I will." Moving closer to the bed, Jason had his friend turn slightly so that his chest was against one of the former Gold Ranger's arms. Then he slowly lowered Tommy onto the bed, helping him settle on his stomach. "It gets a little cool at night since we're on the water, but I don't know if you still get cold at night." At one time, he wouldn't have had to admit that. The number of sleepovers and camp outs they had as teens had made asking those sort of things unnecessary.

"Yeah, I do get a bit cold sometimes-especially when I can't move around much. You have an extra blanket you could put over my feet and legs?"

A soft chuckle came from the man. "Oh the benefits of a well-paying job." Reaching down beside the bed, he hit two switches and turned both knobs, setting the heated mattress pad to 5. "There, won't need one now and it'll also help keep your muscles a little loose." As he talked, Jason pulled the blankets up a bit, settling them up on his friend's shoulders.

"Thank you. I owe you for this." He paused and looked up at Jason with his big, soulful eyes. "Think you could sit with me for a little while?"

The man was torn: staying with his friend and being unable to touch like he wanted was torture, but at the same time he could never refuse a request that Tommy made. "Sure." He started to pull the chair that was sitting near the nightstand closer.

"Thanks. I'm a bit unsettled about all this, I guess. Don't really want to be alone right now," Tommy related, looking a bit uneasy.

His breath caught at the unease in his friend's voice, making his heart break a little. Jason dropped his eyes a little and then despite himself, heard his voice making an offer. "If you want, I can stay in here with you if it'll help."

Tommy smiled a bit at that. "Would you? I'd definitely feel better and it'd be like old times."

"Yeah, but I'll still have to wake you every couple of hours." Moving over to the other side of the bed, he could feel his heart racing. Taking a seat, he took a few moments with his back to the other man to set the alarm. When he was done, he started to lie down.

Tommy reached out and touched Jason's side gently. "What happened to you? That looks like it hurts."

Jason flinched at the contact, unable to stop a small groan from escaping. "It does." He finished laying back and pulled the covers back up. "The asshole that took you back there wrapped his belt around his hand. He caught me a few solid blows to the ribs before I was able to knock him out."

"Oh no. Damn it, bro...again, I'm sorry." Tommy put his hand on Jason's chest in an attempt to soothe the hurt. "Your ribs okay?"

"They're sore, but I couldn't find any give in them. I'll slip into X-ray when I go to work and have them checked. It'll be fine."

"Okay, if you're sure," Tom said, not removing his hand.

The Original Red Ranger raised a hand and let it come to rest on top of his friend's. "Would it make you feel better if I got it looked at?"

"Yeah, I think it would. Just to make sure, ya know?"

"All right." With a soft sigh, Jason reached out with his free hand and grabbed the cordless off of the nightstand. He kept a phone in each room just for times like this. After dialing a number he knew by heart, Jason waited for Matt to pick up.

Over at the hospital, Dr. Mathias Klein fished his cell phone out of his pocket. "Hello?" he answered after seeing that it was his friend Jason who was calling.

"Hey Matt, you still getting off in a couple of hours?"

"Ummm yeah, sure," he replied after looking up at the clock. "In about two hours or so. What's up?"

Jason sighed. "I got into a little dust up at the club after helping a friend out and I caught a belt-wrapped hand to the ribs."

Matt winced and hissed. "Ouch. Want to come in and let me look at it or you want me to stop by?"

"Would you mind stopping by? I've still got him here." He sighed again. "They did a number on his back, so I'm keeping him close. Actually, I was gonna call you after we talked to the cops. I've got to work in a couple of days and was wondering if you'd mind sitting with him."

"Depends, is he cute?" Matt asked with a laugh.

He snorted. "I'm not going to answer that. Besides, you're taken." Jason grinned. "So I'm guessing you don't have a problem with it. As for my ribs, they're really bruised and tender, but I can't tell for sure if there's any give in them."

"Okay yeah, I'll come by as soon as I get outta here. As for me being taken...look, just because I'm on a diet doesn't mean I can't look at the menu, 'k?"

"I'll remember that next time I see Ichi." He chuckled lightly. "I'll see you later and thanks Matt."

"No problem. Happy to help."

Once Jason had put the cordless back on the nightstand, Tommy looked up at him with a questioning look. "Friend of yours, I take it," he asked with a slight smile.

With a grin, Jason nodded. "Yeah, we work together and he literally lives about three miles down the beach from me with his partner."

"Oh, okay. He's gonna come and look at your ribs?"

"On his way home, yeah, and I want him to meet you." Without really thinking about it, his fingers started moving back and forth on Tommy's hand where it still rested on his chest. "I've got a shift in a couple of days and you're not going to be moving well enough to just stay here alone."

"You're not gonna con him into babysitting me, are you? Poor guy."

"He won't mind and I did the same for him when his partner, Ichi, was sick last month."

Tom sighed but nodded. He knew that he was in no position to refuse-it wasn't like he could just get up and do for himself at the moment. "Well...I hate to be trouble, but... thank you. Are you gonna try to get some sleep before he gets here? Please don't think you have to sit up with me."

He nodded. "Yeah, I am. The alarm's set to go off in a couple of hours and by the time the next check comes around, he should be here."

"Okay," Tommy said through a yawn. "Turn out the light, 'k?" With that, he closed his heavy eyelids, drifting off in no time.

With a soft grin, Jason reached out and turned off the light. It only took a few moments for him to follow his friend into sleep.

-o-O-o-

It only seemed like a couple of minutes had passed before the shrill ringing of the alarm caught Jason's attention. With a soft groan, he reached out and turned it off before flicking the lamp on. Sitting up a little bit, he put a hand on Tommy's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "Tom, need you to wake up for me."

"Mmm..." Tommy groaned, frowning and shifting a little.

"Come on, bro." He grinned. "You're going to have to actually open your eyes and talk to me here."

Long black lashes fluttered a bit and then Tom finally managed to get his eyes open. "What is it?"

"I need to ask you a few questions. First off, how's the pain?"

"Don't know, I'm still asleep," the former White Ranger mumbled.

"Sorry bro, but its standard procedure for people with concussions. So, who's the president?"

"George Bush."

"Good, least I won't be asking you which one." He grinned and shook his head. "What year is it?"

"2007- June," he answered, anticipating one of his friend's next questions.

"Smartass... you've had too many of these. So how's your pain doing now that you're a little more awake?"

"Well, my head hurts a little but my back is feeling really stiff. It seriously hurts, bro."

"All right, I can give you another dose of the mix I gave you earlier, but for a few hours yet I still can't give you anything stronger."

"Okay. Getting me onto my side might help some too. I just can't sleep on my stomach. Think we could do that?"

"Yeah, let me get that for you first and then we'll figure out a way for you to sleep on your side."

Tommy shifted a bit while he waited for Jason to come back with the medicine. He grimaced at how tight and painful his back had become-he could hardly move. "Damn it... this sucks," he mumbled to himself.

When Jason bent down to grab his bag, he had to wince as his side pulled. There were things he could take, but until Matt took a look at his ribs, it was better if he held off. Sighing softly, he drew up a dose of the meds for Tommy and grabbed an alcohol pad before going back into the bedroom. "All right, this will go in your hip again."

"How about the other cheek this time?"

"I was planning on it." With a shake of his head and a grin, Jason made short work of injecting the meds into his friend's hip. After recapping the empty syringe, he put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "I'm gonna help you slide over in the bed a bit before helping you onto your side to sleep, okay?"

"Yeah, don't know how much I can help, though- I'm pretty stiff," Tom replied, obviously in pain.

"Just help as much as you can." It took several minutes, but eventually they managed to get Tom onto his side and more towards the middle of the bed. Wincing softly behind his friend, Jason straightened up. He walked around to the other side of the bed and reset the alarm. "Okay, try to get some sleep bro." He moved a little closer to the former White Ranger, not wanting him to roll onto his back.

"Okay, I'll try. This feels much better, by the way," he said in a quiet voice.

"I'm glad and hopefully it'll help your back not tighten up anymore." He turned off the light after pulling the covers back up. "Try to get some rest, Tom."

Before very long, the science teacher was asleep again. The combination of meds and fatigue had come together to put him out rather quickly yet again. Sometime later as he settled further into sleep, he slipped an arm over Jason's stomach and instinctively moved a bit closer.

At first, Jason turned a little more into the warmth beside him and rested his head against the one tucked into his shoulder. A few minutes later, his eyes opened wide as he realized who the person was next to him. A myriad of emotions ripped through him and his thoughts were all over the place. _'God, this feels so natural with him. What if this is the only time I can ever do this? How can I tell him that I left all those years ago because I couldn't tell him that I was in love with him?'_ He closed his eyes, trying to calm the inner storm that was threatening to overwhelm him. _'Will there ever be a time when the two of us can be like this and it actually mean something?'_

Still sleeping, Tommy moved his head a bit, snuggling into Jason's shoulder. The hand that had been resting on the doctor's side now slid slowly up to his chest as the former White Ranger moaned softly in his sleep.

The former Gold Ranger squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep his emotions in check. He was torn between staying where he was and taking what he could get or leaving the bed. He sighed softly and opened his eyes, planting a light kiss to Tommy's forehead. "I'm so sorry, bro." His words were filled with emotion as he started to get up only to have the alarm go off in time to a knocking at the door.

Tom felt Jason slip away from him, but didn't wake. Instead, he pulled the now vacant pillow closer and continued to dream.

Jason turned off the alarm as he went to the door. After checking to see who it was, he unlocked the door and opened it. "Hey Matt."

"Hey Jase, you look like you just woke up," the other doctor chuckled.

"Yeah, trying to sleep between concussion checks." He stepped back a bit. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Matt said, moving further into the house. "How's your friend doing?"

"He's hurting pretty bad. I've been giving him a mix of anti-inflammatory with a mild painkiller and muscle relaxer until later on." He shut the door again and moved towards the kitchen. "I'll let you do your thing first and then you can meet Tom when I do his next check."

"Okay. Come over here where the light is better. Now, where is this... oh damn, Jase," he said suddenly when he saw the darkening bruise. "Where did you say this happened?"

"Yeah, it's gotten darker since I got out of the shower." He sighed as he took a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. "It happened in one of the rooms at The Highliner." He told his friend what happened and how he ended up saving Tommy before grunting in pain as Matt pushed on his ribs. "That hurts, man."

"Sorry. I don't think there's anything broken-definitely bruised and possibly cracked though. You need to have them x-rayed, man." Matt knew that Jason was aware of how to treat ribs that were suspected of being cracked so he didn't want to preach to the man. "Want me to help you wrap them?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I'm not gonna be able to do it and Tom's in no shape to help either." He nodded towards the den. "My bags are in there." At his friend's look, Jason rolled his eyes. "And I'll get 'em X-rayed when I go into work, I promise. Until then, I'll be careful."

"Okay, fair enough." Matt went to get Jason's bags and then asked about Tommy while he was wrapping Jason's chest. "So, your friend was attacked at the club, huh? Think it's related to this string of bashings that's been going on?"

"Possibly." He gave a soft groan as Matt pulled the wrap tight. "Sure fits with what little the cops have gathered. I'm going to call them later this morning and have a couple of officers come out to get our statements."

"Good. That crap needs to stop. I hope they can catch the bastards that are doing it." He finished up with Jason's chest and then asked about Tom. "So, let me meet your 'friend'," he said, cocking an eyebrow. "I wanna see this guy."

"Well, if these guys were responsible, then I'm pretty sure they'll be caught." He stood up slowly, wincing a little as he did. "He's in the guest room." Leading the way down the hall, he turned into the guest room and turned on the lamp closest to Tommy. "I've known him since high school."

Matt looked at the sleeping form in the bed, snuggled up to one of the large pillows. His dark hair and olive skin stood out in contrast to the crisp white of the bed linens. The arm that was visible was nearly covered in vivid, colorful tattoos. "Wow... he's a big one, isn't he?" Matt said quietly, smiling at Jason.

The Original Red Ranger chuckled softly, supporting his ribs as he did. "Yeah, believe it or not, he's almost a hundred pounds heavier than he was in high school. He really bulked up and added a lot of muscle."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Matt asked, kneeling down beside the bed to get a better look at the cuts and bruises on Tommy's face.

He sighed. "Almost six years ago, I'd just gotten done with my third year of med school before I transferred up here. We spent a couple days kicking around with some friends of ours, but we didn't get to really talk, you know?"

"Uh huh," Matt said, nodding a little. "So what's he doing in town? Did you know he was coming?"

"No, I was surprised to see him at the club." He snorted. "Hell, I didn't even know who he was at first until I saw him walking towards one of the rooms." The doctor was quiet for a moment. "As for why he's here..." He met Matt's eyes. "He came looking for me."

"Really? Did he say what for?" the other doctor asked, examining the lump on the back of Tommy's head after Jason had pointed out where it was located.

"Some, but I think a lot of it has to do with me dropping off the face of the Earth."

"Well, that makes sense. I'm just surprised someone hasn't come looking before now, to be honest." He rose back up to stand beside Jason. "That's a nasty knot on his head. What did they hit him with?"

"I have no clue. I'm thinking it might have been one of those small nightsticks. None of them had any weapons or I'm sure when I busted in there they would have used them on me."

"You're a brave man, dude. I don't know if I could've done that." He continued studying Tommy as the sleeping man shifted a little and turned his face more toward the two men. "Although, for that... I might be tempted to try," he grinned.

"Considering he's had my back more times than I can count, there was no way that I could have left him, especially with what all has been happening around here." He sighed and took a seat on the bed, reaching out he put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Tom, I need you to wake up for me."

Again, Tom mumbled a little and moved his head, but didn't wake right away. After Jason repeated his request, giving his shoulder a gentle shake, Tommy slowly began to wake, his warm brown eyes fluttering open.

"Jase?" he said in a quiet voice.

"Hey bro, I need for you to wake up enough that you can talk to me, okay? Need you to answer a few questions and also meet someone."

"Okay, I'm trying," he mumbled and then the other part of Jason's statement filtered through his head. "Who?" he asked, turning his head a little more to look around.

"Easy, don't move around a lot. As for who, it's my friend, Matt." He nodded at the other man to move so that Tommy could see him.

"The other doctor?"

"Yeah, he arrived a little bit ago. He's already looked me over and now it's your turn." He grinned. "Question time."

"Oh goodie, go ahead," Tom sighed.

Jason chuckled softly. "Who's the president?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Bill Clinton."

Matt, looking rather concerned, gave his friend an 'ask another one' look.

Shaking his head, the former Gold Ranger lightly slapped his best friend in the arm. "Tom, I'm being serious here. Matt can override my decision about taking you to the hospital, especially since my thinking was technically clouded due to the alcohol and being hurt myself."

Tom looked confused. "What? Bill Clinton is the president, it's April, 1994, and we go to Angel Grove High. Isn't that right? You know it is."

With a frown, Matt slipped past Jason and moved closer to the other man, pulling a penlight out of his pocket. "Is that what you honestly believe? Because if you're pulling our leg, now is the time to come clean before I call an ambulance."

Tommy shook his head slightly. "You guys have no sense of humor." After a heavy sigh, he came clean. "Okay, okay. George Bush, June, 2007, and we're in Seattle, Washington. Satisfied?" he asked with a grin.

Jason sighed softly and visibly relaxed. "If it wasn't for the fact that I have no clue what you were hit with or how long you were out, it would have been a little funnier, bro."

The other doctor snorted and after checking Tommy's pupils walked back over to Jason and slapped him on the arm. "You did all of that after you'd been drinking? Are you nuts?"

"Matt, I had to get him outta there and he didn't want to go to the hospital if he could help it. Believe me, I hadn't drank that much anyway and I sobered up real quick when I realized it was Tommy that was taken back to that room."

"Still, you know better Jason." He shook his head. "So what have you taken for pain yourself? Because I know those ribs are hurting you."

"I took two Aleve earlier, that's all. I couldn't afford to be drowsy- I have to watch over Tom."

"That's not gonna cut it. I'm going to see what all you have and grab you something." He held up a hand. "It won't be enough to muddle your head, but you need something better than Aleve to help with the pain and to keep those muscles from seizing up. I'll call you both in scrips, too." He looked at Tommy, who was watching him. "You're going to need an antibiotic as a precaution for the cuts on your back." Turning back to Jason, he nodded. "And you're going to need a muscle relaxer you can take orally for those ribs. I'll have the pharmacy down the street fill it since they deliver."

"Okay, go ahead and do what you think is best. And you're right; I probably should've called you earlier." He sat on the edge of the bed near Tommy and reached over to stroke the man's thick, dark hair. "Will you look at his back and make sure it looks okay?" Matt's words had made Jason realize that maybe he had taken things into his own hands a little too much.

He nodded and moved closer to the bed. "Tommy, I'm going to help you sit up. Then after I take off the wrap, I want to check the stitches and cuts to make sure Jason cleaned them out good enough, okay?"

"I'm sure he did a perfect job, but okay... if it'll make you feel better," Tom said, giving his friend a vote of confidence.

Once Jason had moved, Matt moved over to take hold of Tommy to sit him up. "Okay, here we go," he said, skillfully pulling the man up to a sitting position.

"You alright?" Matt asked, looking into Tommy's face.

"Yeah, just really stiff. The pain meds Jase gave me earlier are still working."

"Good." He looked over at Jason. "Grab your bags and bring them in here, but be careful all right? Last thing I want to do is have to fill in for you because you ended up breaking a rib." He winked at the man and grinned before turning back to Tommy. "So aside from your back, what all else hurts?"

Jason snorted, but went out to the den to grab his bags. He had to set them on the couch and then pick them both up in one hand so that it didn't pull on his ribs.

"Well, my head does hurt, but not as bad as it did. My face hurts too- I'm sure it's pretty ugly right now," he said, rubbing his bruised jaw gently.

Matt laughed softly. "Yeah, you wouldn't win any contests right now, but I've seen worse." He gently probed the bruised jaw, checking to see if there were any obvious breaks or deformities.

"Here ya go." Dropping the bags next to Matt, Jason walked over to the other side of the bed and took a seat. He'd forgotten what it was like to have bruised or cracked ribs and everything that went with it.

"My head seem okay? That lump is really big," Tom asked.

Pulling a pair of gloves out of one of the bags, Matt slid them on. "I'm fixing to check that out now." He looked over at Jason. "Think you can help support him while I do this?" When he got a nod in return, Matt moved, allowing Jason to slip into his place while he stood up to get a good look at the lump on the back of the man's head. "Well, you've got a large blood blister back here that will need to be lanced. That'll help relieve some of the pressure and ease the pain a little. How it didn't split your head open, I have no clue."

"I have an extremely hard head-ask Jase," Tommy said with a chuckle.

"That ain't a lie. Kicked him there a couple of times and regretted it each time."

Matt shook his head. "I don't even want to know why you kicked someone in the head." He grabbed a clean scalpel from Jason's bag. "You do know that you're supposed to ride the rig when you go back in, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm hoping these ribs will feel better by then," Jason replied.

Tommy moved away a bit when he caught sight of the scalpel. "Whoa... what're you doing with that?"

The Original Red Ranger chuckled softly. "Easy Tom, he's going to use that to lance the blister."

Matt nodded, grabbing some gauze to catch the blood. "Using the scalpel makes it easier and quicker than having to make multiple holes with a needle."

"Oh goodie," Tom grimaced. "How bad is this gonna hurt?"

"You'll feel a little pressure, but after that the ache should ease a bit coming from the lump." Moving quickly, the man sliced the blister open with a sure stroke, catching the blood as it was released.

It happened so fast that Tom barely had time to flinch. "God, you doctors. Whoever told you that 'pain' and 'pressure' weren't the same damn thing." He closed his eyes tight. "Mmmmmhh, that smarts."

Jason laughed softly, holding onto his ribs. "Guess I should have told you that Matt's bedside manner kinda sucks."

"Like you have any room to talk Mr. This-Will-Only-Hurt-For-A-Minute." He looked around at Tommy. "That's his favorite line at the hospital, except most of the time he uses it, everyone knows he's lying, including the patient."

"Oh he's been using that for a while now. If I'm not mistaken, he said that to me the first time he patched me up way back in high school," Tom said with a chuckle, trying to ignore the stinging coming from the back of his head.

"Somehow I don't doubt that." After cleaning the area, Matt used a liquid bandage to seal the area. "That should help. Now before I start looking at your back, does anything else hurt?"

"No, just my head, my face, and my back. That's enough, though."

"I'm sure it is," Nodding at Jason, the other doctor started unwinding the wrap holding the bandages and dressing in place. "Once I get done with checking your back, I'll put a new dressing on it, give the ox there a shot for his ribs, and call both your scripts in. Then I'll crash on the couch for a little bit since Ichi's still out of town. That way you can both rest and I'll do the concussion checks."

For a moment, Jason said nothing and then he spoke up. "Take my bed, Matt. I'll stay in here with Tom."

"That'll work. Thanks for doing all this, Matt. I appreciate it and I know 'the ox' there does too," Tom said with a slight smile. He was beginning to get tired again.

"Well, I owed him this time around, so it all evens out in the end." He made quick work of checking the man's back and the stitches his colleague had put in. "Not bad." He grinned. "Least he didn't put any zigzag stitches in."

"I only did that once and the guy deserved it." Jason stated, grinning.

Tom chuckled in spite of himself. "What did he do to deserve it? Tell me."

"Besides kicking me in the crotch? The guy bit me before we were able to get him subdued."

"Oh crap... yeah, that'd do it. Bet that's an interesting looking scar he's got now." He looked at Matt. "Are you almost done?" he asked gently, not wanting to piss the doctor off.

"Almost, just need to re-cover these and then put the wrap back on." He grinned. "And what he's not telling you is that Jason volunteered to do the guy's stitches."

"Oh yeah, gotta get him back somehow. Tell me, did Jase here do a decent job on my stitches? Those tats are expensive."

A solid laugh came from the doctor. "Actually, Jason does really good work, even a little lit. So I think you'll be just fine with how things turn out."

Tommy smiled. "Good. Now, if you guys will help me lay on my side, I'll try to go back to sleep."

Jason laughed softly. "Matt will be doing most of the helping of that."

Shaking his head as he finished re-wrapping the bandages into place, Matt sighed. "So much grunt work and so little pay." He grinned. "All right, let's get you lying down so I can take care of the lug head."

"He knows you, doesn't he?" Tom laughed.

Rolling his eyes, the former Gold Ranger moved out of the way so that Matt could help Tom lay down. He knew that his friend was going to need some more information from him for the scrips and he'd follow him back out to the kitchen to do that. "You're both so funny."

"Ichi seems to think so," Matt shot back, helping the other man lay down on his side.

Once he was settled, Tom looked up into Matt's eyes. "Doc, tell me the truth. How is the lug head over there? Really?" The concern in his eyes for his oldest friend was hard to miss.

Sighing softly, he got a nod from his friend before meeting Tom's eyes. "He's got four ribs that are definitely bruised and possibly cracked. Plus, he's got a few other bruises, a small cut above his eye and a graze on the underside of his chin that I cleaned up. He'll be sore a few weeks and after he gets the X-rays, we'll know better what all he can and cannot do at work."

"Damn it," Tommy sighed. "This is not what I came up here for. I shoulda stayed in Reefside." He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

Matt put a hand on the man's shoulder after motioning Jason out of the room. "Let me tell you a few things about your friend that you might not know before you start feeling guilty about what happened." He waited until the warm chocolate eyes were on him before continuing. "This isn't the first time that Jason's been in a fight at a club. Sometimes there's a reason for it, like tonight, and other times he just gets pissed off. I don't know how many bars he's paid damages to in the last two years alone, but it's more than just pocket change. On his days off, he drinks and that's not always a good thing. Several times myself or Kenichi have gone and picked him up from a club or bar, only to take him to our place because he was too drunk to leave alone." He paused for a moment.

"There are months at a time where he'll be okay, but that small period only lasts until September and then he goes into another dark time for the holiday season. His work doesn't suffer, but that's about it. So don't think that you brought this on. Him saving you tonight probably stopped another wave from starting."

"Poor Jase," Tom said and paused to think. "He was never like this before-I wonder what happened to start this?"

"That's something you'll have to ask him. I know that he hasn't been home since moving to Seattle and that every year towards the end of June he takes two weeks off, but doesn't go anywhere. That's also a time I keep my eye on him because he drinks so much. Now don't get me wrong, he's a great guy. Jason will give you the shirt off his back in a heartbeat, but there's always something just under the surface that holds him back from being happy."

"Damn, he sure has changed then. Maybe I can get him to talk to me-looks like I'm gonna be here for a little while. I'll see what I can do."

"Good, he needs someone he can open up to." He stood, pulling the covers up over Tommy. "Maybe you can convince him to think about dating, too. Guy hasn't been on a date in almost two years."

"Wow, that's definitely not like my Rex. Thanks for telling me all this, Matt." Tommy decided then and there that he had to do something for his old friend. Jason had done way too much for him in the past and that very night he had probably saved his life yet again. _'I've gotta get him to talk to me.'_

"No problem. Try to get some rest. I'm gonna have Jay give me the info I need for both of your meds and then I'll dose him up for his ribs. After that I'll send him back to get some sleep."

"Okay. And thanks again, Matt. You seem to be a good friend to him- I appreciate that."

"Yeah well," He grinned. "The reason I know how long it's been since Jason dated is because his ex is my partner." He gave Tommy's arm a pat. "Get some rest."

"I will. See you soon," he sighed, knowing that Matt would be back to wake him up in another couple of hours to ask him questions.

Once the young doctor had left the room, Tommy laid there in the nearly dark bedroom listening to the faint, distant sound of the ocean just outside. Before he drifted off to sleep, he re-ran some of what Matt had told him about his good friend. _'Man, Jase has been in a bad way for a while now. Why didn't he call me? Or somebody? And him not dating at all- that's just not like him.'_ He turned a few other things over in his mind and then all at once, his eyes flew open. _'Jase's ex is a guy?'_ He knew that the Original Red Ranger had tested the waters a bit a few years back, but the last Tommy knew he was dating women. _'Well... that's definitely interesting.'_

-o-O-o-

_Author's Notes: Hope you're enjoying our new story! We realize that some of you may feel that Jason is a bit OOC—this is what we intended._

_Please check out our other stories—"Misery Loves Company" and "Ranger Retreat". As for our solo work, look for "Family Stands" from Prophet144 and "In His Eyes" by Be A Warrior Casseau. Don't forget to leave us a review!_


	2. Beaten But Not Broken

The Highliner

By A Warrior's Prophet

**Disclaimers**: See Chapter 1

**Authors' Notes**: Rated Mature for violence, language, and sexual situations. If you're not comfortable with slash, please hit that Back button now.

**Chapter 2****—Beaten But Not Broken**

Jason looked over at his friend as he came into the kitchen. "So how much did you tell him?"

"I told him what your injuries were and also explained to him that it's not the first time you've been in a bar brawl. He seems really worried about you, Jase, and you've known him forever- won't you open up a bit to him? You need someone to talk to."

The laugh he gave contained no humor. "And if I told you that he was the one I kept referring to all the times that you and I've talked, would that change your mind?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Tom doesn't know why I left California or why I ran out instead of meeting him after the last time we got together with our other friends." Raising his eyes, he met Matt's gaze. "He doesn't know there are only three people I keep in touch with from back home and that my parents are the only people who have an address for me. The last time we really spent any time together, I was still trying to pass myself off as straight or at least bi."

"Well, I fixed that for you too. I told him that Ichi was your ex. Talk to the man, Jason. Tell him how you feel. What the hell do you have to lose?"

He shook his head. "He's the only one I've ever really loved Matt." Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and met his friend's eyes again. "How do I tell him that I left because I love him and was too afraid to tell him?"

"Tell me this: Is he gay or bi? How do you think he feels about you?"

"Tom's bi, but as far as how he feels about me, I have no clue." He went to straighten up, forgetting about his ribs until they pulled, causing him to groan.

"Take it easy," Matt advised. "Listen, I'm not trying to preach to you- you and I have only known each other for a couple of years. But you've got a chance here to reconnect with someone that is obviously very special to you. Don't waste it, okay? You're a great guy that tattoo boy in there would be lucky to have. Give it a chance, okay?"

Jason nodded. "We'll see how it goes." He winced again. "Let's get the scrips called in before my ribs really start hurting." He was already having to adjust his breathing slightly and knew that if he didn't take something for them soon, he'd be curled up around a pillow in pain.

"Alright, Rex. I'll do that right now." He shot Jase a look, wondering if the name that Tommy had called him would cause any reaction in his friend.

The nickname made the other man blush, but he gave his friend a brief and small, but true smile. "Thanks Matt." Sighing softly, Jason visibly relaxed and leaned against the counter.

"Okay, tell me a couple of things about Tom so I can get his prescriptions called in." He pulled a pen and pad out of his pocket and looked back up at Jason. "What's his last name and birthday?"

"His last name is Oliver and his birthday is September 4, 1978." He put a hand to his ribs before going over to the fridge and pulling a card off of it and then handed it to Matt. "That's all my info."

"Okay, cool." He looked at Jason's info and made a couple of notes. "Oh... is he allergic to anything that you know of?"

"No, he's okay for pretty much anything, but amoxicillin he has to take with food. Try something else if you can."

Once Matt had the scrips called in, he looked over at Jason. "Ready for me to give you something better for those ribs? You need to get some rest and that'll help."

The Original Red Ranger nodded. "Yeah, really starting to hurt and that's making me breath different."

"Alright, give me a sec and we'll fix you right up." Matt took out a syringe and the appropriate bottle. Drawing up the correct dosage, he then turned to Jason. "Where you want it?" he smiled.

"Just use my hip and that way I don't have to move just yet." He was really looking forward to lying down again and he knew that the meds might help him sleep as well. "Thanks again for doing this Matt."

"You're welcome. I owe you anyway for taking care of Ichi last month." He gave Jason the shot and disposed of the needle. "Okay, come on- let's get you to bed."

"Gonna have to help me stand up." He met the worried eyes of his friend. "Muscles are tightening up pretty bad. I know the shot will help, but it's gonna make life interesting for a few weeks."

Frowning, the other man spoke softly. "Jase, how many times did he hit you in that one area? Because I got to tell you, I'm starting to think about making you both go to the little clinic down the road just to be safe."

"He hit me at least twice in that area and if later on today things are still really off, I'll let you, okay? At least me; Tom is another matter and you'll have to talk to him about it."

"Alright, it's a deal, but... if I say we go, we go okay? No arguments?"

"Deal, man." Jason gave the other man a small grin and cocked an eyebrow. "Can you take me to bed now?"

Matt laughed out loud before he could stop himself. Wagging his eyebrows at his friend, he said, "Oh yeah, baby. I've wanted this for so long."

Returning the grin, the former Gold Ranger let his friend help him to straighten up. "Just remember to take it easy lover; I'm still a little sore." He winked at Matt and sighed softly. "I'm glad that you and Ichi got together. You're both good for one another."

"Yeah, we are. I'd love to see you find somebody special, my friend. Who knows? This may be the one," he said, leading Jason toward the guest room.

"Maybe. Guess the next couple of weeks or so will tell." He let his breath out slowly as Matt helped him take a seat on the bed.

Looking over at the sleeping man on the other side of the big bed, Matt smiled. "Look at him, Jason. He's definitely worth a try, don't you think?" he asked and then paused. "Seriously, all shallow comments aside-he really does seem to care a lot about you, man."

For several moments, Jason just watched his friend sleep and then slowly nodded. "I'll give it a try." Once Matt had helped him lie down and get comfortable, Jason found himself scooting a bit closer to his sleeping friend. "I promise Matt, I'll talk to him and give things a shot."

"Good deal- that's all I ask. Now please get some rest, okay? Call if you need me." With that, Matt left the two friends to go find a bed to pass out in. He'd been up way too long that day and it was catching up to him.

-o-O-o-

Matt groaned softly when the alarm went off in his ear. Getting up, he stretched a bit before flicking on the nightstand lamp. He took a few moments to make sure he was awake before getting up and heading for the bathroom. After a pit stop, he walked down the hall to the guest room and slowly made his way in. The doctor checked on Jason first. He'd known the big lug to run fevers when he was hurt and was pleased to find the forehead of his friend cool. Shaking his head at the man, Matt went over to the other side and placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder, copying Jason's move and giving it a soft squeeze. "Tom, I need you to wake up."

After groaning and mumbling a couple of times, Tommy finally opened his eyes. "Hmm? Jase?" he asked, turning his head to try and see who had woken him.

"No, Jason's still asleep. It's Matt. I need you to wake up so I can ask you a few questions."

"Oh... okay," he replied sleepily. He yawned and tried to move a bit, but found himself to be quite stiff. "Oooh, better not try that."

"Yeah, can happen. Just try to relax and I'll make this quick. What year is it?"

"2007."

"Good, let's see how good you are with multiple ones." He grinned. "Who's president and what month is it?"

"George Bush and... June," he replied. After a pause he added, "Seattle, Washington and Jason Scott's house." He gave Matt a sleepy smile.

Grinning, he shook his head. "Jase is right, you're a smartass."

"Uh huh," he said, nodding. "I teach high school... it comes naturally."

"I can see where it might come in handy. So how's the pain?"

Tom took a minute to take stock. "Well, my head actually feels a bit better. My back hurts a bit, but it's mostly stiff."

"Well, I can't give you anything else just yet, but now you'll get to sleep for four hours instead of two. By that time, the scrips that I called in should be here for you guys."

"Okay." The former Green Ranger looked over at his friend sleeping peacefully beside him. "Is Jase okay? He's awfully still."

Matt chuckled softly. "Well, I know how Jase is and if he's not given something strong enough to let him rest, then he'll be up trying to do stuff he knows not to."

"You do know him," Tommy said. "So he's alright? You don't think he'll have any problems healing, do ya?"

"As long as he doesn't overdo it at work, I think he'll be fine." He was quiet for a moment. "Although the color and depth of that bruise is bothering me a bit."

"And what can that mean?" Tom asked, knowing fairly little about medical matters.

Taking a seat on the side of the bed, Matt looked at the man. "Jason didn't take just one punch from the guy to that section of his ribs, he took at least two. So it can mean that those ribs really are cracked and if he gets hit there again, the blow could finish breaking them and puncture a lung. That's why I'm thinking about taking you both up the road to a local clinic that we work at sometimes and get you checked out there."

"Okay, if you think it's necessary, but... how're you gonna handle both of us by yourself?" He knew that both he and Jason would need help walking, getting in and out of the car, etc. and Matt just didn't look like he could handle it alone.

"Just let me worry about that, okay? Get some rest and I'll see you again in a few hours."

"Alright, alright, see you later," Tom said, snuggling back into the pillow and closing his eyes.

With a grin, Matt pulled the covers back up over the man and walked back around to check on Jason. He made sure that the wrap on his ribs wasn't too tight before shaking his head. He turned off the light, left the room, and went back to the master bedroom. Setting the alarm to go off in four hours, Matt lay back down and drifted off to sleep once more.

-o-O-o-

Waking slowly, Jason opened his eyes and noticed that the sun was up. _'What time is it?'_ he wondered as he lifted his head to see the clock on the nightstand. "9am? How did I sleep that long?" he said suddenly, looking over at the man that shared his bed. "Well, at least Tom's still asleep. He seems to be doing okay. Let's see if I can get up now." Jason carefully pushed himself up to his elbows and paused. "Wow, this is gonna be fun." After taking a deep breath, he managed to get himself to a sitting position where he stayed for a minute. Once he was ready, he struggled to his feet and began shuffling towards the bathroom to take care of the morning necessities.

Matt heard movement in the bathroom down the hall and got up. He frowned when he saw Jason come out. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Ummm, using the bathroom- what did you think?"

"I'm thinking that you have cracked ribs and if you move wrong they could end up broken. I'm thinking that if that happens, then it could puncture a lung." He sighed and moved closer to the other man. "Dammit Jason, you know better than this and have chewed out patients for doing the same thing you are right now."

"Yeah, but the difference is I know what I'm doing. And by the way, what the hell did you give me, anyway? It's 9am!" Jason asked, sounding a bit perturbed. He leaned against the wall for support.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked at his friend. "Come on, if we're going to talk about this, you need to sit down."

"Okay, that's fine. How about the living room?" he asked, starting down the hallway. He really did want to sit down, but didn't let on to his friend.

"That works." He moved up to Jason's side. "Need some help?"

"Nah, I'm okay. Just need something to drink," the Original Red Ranger said, moving slowly but purposefully toward his recliner.

"Well, you just keep going and be careful, I'll grab you some juice and put the coffee on." Shaking his head, Matt headed to the kitchen.

Jason managed to get to the recliner and get seated without any help. He sat holding his side when Matt came back in. "So, how was Tommy the last time you woke him?"

"His back was a little tight and stiff, but he was okay otherwise." He nodded towards the hand on his friend's ribs. "They're bothering you pretty good, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I ain't gonna lie... they hurt," the young doctor admitted, looking up at his friend. "So what did you give me last night?"

"I gave you a combo muscle relaxer and the strongest painkiller you had in your bag."

"Damn, Matt... No wonder I was out so long. Any particular reason you dosed me up like that?"

"Because you could barely move last night and if I hadn't, then you'd probably have been on your way to the ER a few hours ago, if you had spiked a fever like you normally do. What I gave you took care of that, just like we thought it would last time something like this happened."

"Really did it this time, didn't I? Still wanna take me and Tom to the clinic?" Jason asked, softening his tone. He realized that his friend was just looking out for him and knew that Matt was a very capable doctor.

"I'm worried about those ribs, Jase. When he wrapped that belt around his hand, it might have added a concussion effect to the blow. The color of that bruise was really dark for it to be only a few hours old."

"Well, why don't we take a look at it now and see how it looks. If it's bad enough, I'll go to the clinic without any arguments, okay?"

Matt nodded. "All right, drink that juice and I'll let you sit for a few minutes while I go grab your bag. Then we'll take a look at your ribs and go from there."

"Alright, but if they examine Tom we've gotta make sure that they're discreet. He's worried about the school board finding out."

"I was planning on taking you guys to the one we work at, not the other one. So I'm willing to believe they'll help us out." He stood up and patted Jason's arm. "Be right back."

Drinking the juice slowly, Jason wondered if there really was anything seriously wrong with his ribs. _'Man, if it's bad enough, I won't be able to work. I'm glad I was there to help Tommy, but I gotta stay outta those type bars,'_ he thought.

While grabbing the bag, the other man checked on Tommy and was glad to find him still sleeping. As he walked back to the living room, he watched Jason carefully. "You're leaning to protect your ribs."

"I don't doubt it. Let's see what that bruise looks like. I still need to call my officer friends and file that police report."

"Have them come out to the house if you can." Taking a seat on the coffee table, Matt leaned forward a bit and found the end of the wrap. "If I start going too fast for you, let me know."

"Alright, will do." Jason sat as still as he could while Matt worked. He groaned a couple of times, but overall things went pretty smoothly.

Once the last of the wrap was removed, he shook his head and looked at Jason. "Hate to tell you man, but that bruise grew."

"It did? Great," Jason said with a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Just what I needed. What do you think about it, Matt?"

"Just don't hit me, okay?" He started gently probing the area.

"I'll try, just be careful."

"I plan on it." Matt felt all around the area, frowning slightly. "Despite the muscle relaxer, you're still extremely tight and that area above your ribs is really warm to the touch." He sat back. "I'd really like for you to get them X-rayed today, Jase. I know you don't what to, but I want to see if you did any muscle damage." He grinned. "Means you get to sit and do chart reviews for several shifts if you decide to go into work."

"Oh joy. Can you grab that hand mirror out of the bathroom so I can see it?" Jason requested, wanting to see the damage for himself. _'I might be getting to spend more time with Tommy than I thought. Hope we can get along for a week or two.'_

"Yeah, give me a second." Going to the bathroom, Matt found the requested item and brought it back. "Need me to hold it for you?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Matt positioned the mirror so that Jason could get a good look at the purple and black bruise that had grown in size in the last few hours. Jason hissed upon seeing it. "Damn... that's ugly. Okay, I'll go for x-rays. Let's get this police report done first."

"No problem." He returned the mirror and came back, handing the cordless to Jason. "I know you'll need that and while that's being done, someone needs to make breakfast."

Jason dialed the number for the local police precinct to try to get ahold of one of his friends there. From his time at the hospital and the bar, he knew the number by heart. When it was finally answered, he asked for one of the men he knew. "Hi. May I speak with Detective Rob Middleton please? My name is Dr. Jason Scott." His friend answered a couple of minutes later. "Hey Rob, this is Jason from NHMC. Listen, I might have some information for you on the series of bashings that's been going on. I also need to make a report about an incident that happened last night. You think you could come out to my place?"

Rob frowned and waived his partner over. "Yeah, Isaac and I can swing out to talk to you. Got a particular time or you want us to head out now?"

"If you guys could get here in about an hour and a half or so, that'd be great. And Rob, if you guys could keep this under your hat for now, I'd appreciate it. You'll understand when I make the report, okay?"

"No problem, Jase. We'll see you then." Hanging up, he looked at his partner. "Seems we might be getting a break on those bashings after all." He 'shot' the rubber band he'd been playing with at the other man. "Which means you have to buy breakfast."

Right after Jason hung up with Rob, he heard the faint sound of someone calling his name. "Tom?" he mumbled. He started to get up to go check on his friend but without his ribs being wrapped, the pain was just too great. "Matt? I think I hear Tommy but I can't get up. Can you go check on him for me?"

"Sure, just as long as you lean that recliner back a bit and rest until I'm done with breakfast." After turning the stove off, Matt headed to the guest room. "Hey man, you awake?"

"Yeah, hey Matt. Where's Jase?" Tommy asked in between yawns.

"He's out in the living room in the recliner." Taking a seat he grinned at the man. "And he'd better be resting until breakfast is done."

"Well, good luck with that," Tom said with a bit of a grin. "You think you could help me to the bathroom? It's getting pretty urgent."

He chuckled softly. "I think I can manage that." It took a few moments to get the other man onto his feet. Once he was up, Matt made sure that Tom was steady before helping him to the bathroom. "I'll wait out here for you."

"Okay, thanks. I'll be careful," Tom assured the doctor as he closed the bathroom door.

While waiting for him, Matt let out a soft whistle of appreciation. _'Damn, if he and Jase do get together, they'd better hope that bed holds together.'_ He shook his head. _'There's not an ounce of fat on that man and if I wasn't already seeing someone, I'd definitely be trying to get closer to that so I could see the total package.'_

Once Tom had taken care of business and washed up, he took a minute to look at his bruised face in the mirror. '_Eww, that's ugly_,' he thought as he examined the cuts on his lip and cheek. He also noticed that the bruises on his jaw were darkening. At last, he opened the door and looked at Matt. "Wow, I'm pretty, ain't I?" he said, shaking his head.

Taking a moment to run his eyes up and down the man in front of him, Matt grinned. "I don't know about pretty, but you're damn sexy."

Tommy instantly turned at least three shades of red and he started chuckling. "Ummm... thanks, I guess." He really had no idea what to say to the doctor.

Laughing, he shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Jason turned crimson when I pinched his ass one time." He started helping the other man out to the living room. "Think it might have had something to do with him being naked in the shower at work." With a grin, he winked at Tom. "Do you know he does a full body blush?"

"Yeah, I remember that about him," Tommy laughed. "He still does that, huh?"

"Oh yeah, and both sets of cheeks seem to match in color when it happens."

"Sounds about right," Tom said as they reached the living room and he saw Jason in the recliner. "Hey Jase, how are you feeling?"

Turning his head a bit, Jason gave his friend a small grin. "Could be better. Ribs are hurting and I'm sore, but other than that things are good." He sighed softly. "Couple of detectives will be here in a little over an hour to talk to us."

Matt started helping Tom over to the couch to take a seat. "Once I get you settled, I'll go finish breakfast so you guys can eat before they get here."

Tommy nodded and then let Matt help him get settled. As he did, however, he got a good look at the huge, dark bruise on Jason's ribs. "Oh my God, Jase... you've gotta get something done about that," he said with his eyes wide. "I had no idea it was that bad."

"Yeah, I didn't either until Matt unwrapped them." He pushed the recliner down a bit so he could see Tommy easier. "I already agreed to go get them looked at and X-rayed."

"Good, that's a nasty bruise. So, there are cops coming to talk to us about what happened?" Tom asked, looking decidedly uneasy.

Nodding his head, Jason could hear Matt working in the kitchen. "Yeah." He met the soft, chocolate eyes of his friend. "They're both good guys. I've patched them both up a couple of times and called them when I saw someone with a wound or injury that just didn't look right."

"Okay well, as long as this doesn't get back to Reefside. The board is pretty conservative and I'm already hiding enough from them," the science teacher said.

The Original Red Ranger laughed softly at that, mindful of his ribs. "Matt's taking us to the clinic up the road to get looked at. We both work there as part of our hospital rotations. Plus, I know that the two officers will keep our names out of things unless it goes to trial."

"Well, okay. Do I need to be checked at the clinic too or just you?"

"I kind of want to leave that up to Matt and the cops. If they want documentation of your injuries, then neither Matt nor I can do it. If they're not worried about it, we'll go with what Matt says."

"Alright, sounds good to me. I might need another shot pretty soon, though. My back is starting to really hurt again," Tommy said, shifting and wincing.

"I can give you something to take most of the edge off, but killing the pain totally needs to wait until the docs have seen you."

"I'll take whatever you can give me. You haven't given me anything yet that totally kills the pain." He watched his friend for a moment. "You _are_ gonna take something, aren't you? I can tell you're hurting, bro."

Jason shook his head. "I can't take much of anything until I've seen the doc at the clinic. Matt might give me something to take the edge off, just like you, but it wouldn't really do a lot of good."

Tommy shook his head and lowered his gaze, suddenly finding his hands fascinating. He felt so bad about Jason getting hurt while helping him. No matter what anyone said, he still felt responsible. "I hope it's not serious," he finally said in a low voice.

Setting the recliner the rest of the way down, Jason slowly got to his feet and went over to the couch. It took a few moments for him to actually be able to sit, but once down he put a hand on Tommy's arm. "Tom, this is not your fault." He sighed. "I know Matt talked to you a little bit last night. These past few years…I've changed, bro. I'm not the same person that could drink one or two beers and be done. People that get on my nerves I'm more likely to punch just because I know I can beat most of them and even the ones I can't, I know they'll give me a good fight. If I hadn't gotten hurt helping you, then it would have been because someone pissed me off or I just wanted to hit them."

Tommy shook his head. "What's happened to change you, man? You know that's not how a martial artist is supposed to conduct himself. Will you talk to me about it?" Tommy purposely turned the puppy dog eyes on, using everything at his disposal to try to draw his old friend out.

The Original Red Ranger sighed softly. "I promise, I'll talk to you about it…but not right now." He shook his head when Tom started to interrupt him. "It's a long story and we don't have the time for it right now. We both need to eat before the cops get here and I'd like to get a shower before we go to the clinic." He gave his friend's hand a squeeze and leaned in closer. "But I promise you, on our bonds as Rangers, I _will_ tell you."

Tom couldn't ask for more than that. "Okay, I believe you. Let's get this thing with the police over with and then go get you checked out. How much longer you think breakfast will be?" he asked with a slight grin.

Matt snorted as he came into the room with a tray containing plates for all of them. "It's done actually. Three egg omelets with ham, cheese, and green peppers with a side of hash browns and sausage."

Tommy turned his head toward the man. "Wow, that smells amazing. You didn't have to do all this," he remarked, looking at the filled plates.

Chuckling softly, he shook his head. "All I did was make the omelets and brown the sausage. The hash browns are courtesy of Ore Ida." He put the tray down. "Be right back." A few moments later he came back with three cups of coffee. "I know that Jason takes his with sugar and cream, so I just made yours like that as well." He passed out the food and drinks.

"That's fine. Thanks for making breakfast, Matt." He smiled up at the young doctor and watched as he sat down to start eating. "So what about your partner? What was his name?"

Grinning, Matt took a drink of coffee before answering. "Kenichi Nakamura, and he's out of town for a few more days on business. He's an architectural engineer."

"Nice. I'm assuming he's Japanese by the name, right?"

"He's part Japanese and part English. His mom was born in England, but has been living here for years now and his dad comes from a somewhat traditional Japanese-American family."

"Sounds like an interesting guy. Think I'll get a chance to meet him?" Tom asked in between bites of omelet.

He grinned. "I think the odds are good."

"So you said that he's Jason's ex, is that right?" Tommy asked Matt while glancing over at his old friend to gauge his reaction.

Jason blushed. "Yeah he is and I actually introduced the two of them after Ichi and I broke up, mutually. I wasn't ready to settle yet and he was."

"Well, I'm glad things worked out for the best. At least you're still friends," he said to Jason. "Doesn't always work out like that."

A snort from Matt had both men turning their heads to look at him. "Trust me, it wasn't all easy going in the beginning. It took several months for them to be able to look at each other and not want to either screw the other's brains out or punch them."

Rolling his eyes, Jason shook his head. "Don't believe everything he says Tom. It took almost that long for me to convince Matt that I'm not into a threesome."

Tommy chuckled and shook his head. "You guys sound like we did back in the day." He turned toward Jason. "So, you're really into guys these days, huh?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

The former Gold Ranger blushed a bit, but nodded as he put his empty plate on the table. "Figured out when I started med school that women just didn't do it for me." He took a drink of his coffee. "I felt a lot better after admitting that to myself and was able to buckle down a bit more when I studied. Loosened up a bit when I went out as well."

"Yeah, making peace with yourself over something like that will tend to make you feel better about things." He took another drink of his coffee and paused for a minute. "I'm tellin' ya, after my last few experiences with women... I'm about to swear them off myself." He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Matt chuckled softly as he started gathering empty dishes. "Yes, but you at least have someone else to go and satisfy yourself with. Those of us that are only one way or the other run out of options if we do that." He grinned. "And Rosy and her five sisters can only do so much for a man." With a wink, he took the items back to the kitchen.

Jason watched him go and shook his head. "The man is definitely not right in the head."

"And he's a doctor. Kinda scary, I don't mind tellin' ya..." Tom said with a laugh. "But seriously, did your decision to give up on women have anything to do with why you disappeared on us?"

For a moment, Jason was tempted to put the question off until later, but with a heavy sigh he nodded his head. "It actually had a lot to do with more than just that." He met Tom's eyes. "My going to the Peace Conference was partially related to that choice, or what would lead to me being able to make that decision comfortably."

Tom cocked his head a little, not quite understanding what Jason was trying to say. Before he could ask, however, the doorbell sounded. "I guess that's your cop friends."

Jason nodded and slowly got to his feet, holding his ribs as he did so. "They're both detectives, but good guys." He made his way to the door and opened it, giving the two men on the other side a small grin. "Hey guys, come on in."

"Ooh, Jason- what does the other truck look like?" Rob said with a grimace stepping through the doorway. "Seriously, are you okay?"

Shaking his head, Isaac slapped his partner. "Rob, be nice." He grinned. "This was obviously the work of an animal."

"Oh you're both funny." With a snort, the Original Red Ranger stepped back. "Come on in."

Matt stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "Hey guys, thanks for coming over. Jason's friend was roughed up pretty badly."

In the other room, Tommy was fidgeting nervously as he thought about talking to the police. No matter how discreet Jason said they were, there was still the chance that the report of this incident could get back to the school board in Reefside. If he were to lose his job there, he'd be forced to move.

"Yeah well, doesn't look like Jason got off much better," Isaac stated, nodding towards the other room. "Let's go in there and let you sit down before Matt has to treat you for a busted skull."

Rolling his eyes, Jason led the way. "Isaac Quinn, Rob Middleton, I'd like you to meet Thomas Oliver. He's a friend of mine from high school."

Tom swallowed hard and tried to put on a smile. Extending his hand, he greeted the men. "Hi, nice to meet you," he said somewhat weakly.

Matt walked in behind the men and took a seat off to the side in case he was needed for information. He also wanted to know if the officers had any new information on the recent bashing incidents.

Isaac shook hands with the man and took a seat across from him. "Will it help you relax if I said that we can keep your report anonymous until this goes to trial, if it does?"

Rob laughed softly and after shaking hands with Tommy, sat beside his partner. "Forgive Isaac, sometimes he has worse bedside manners than Matt and Jason do."

Tommy chuckled a little and then sighed. "Jason has told me that the report won't be made public, it's just that... I work for a very straight-laced school board and I'm already concealing things from them."

The dark haired detective nodded. "And what might those things be?" Isaac met the other man's eyes as he asked his question, but his tone was anything but hostile.

Rubbing his arm, he cleared his throat. "Well, the main thing, I guess, is that I'm bi. That wouldn't go over well with them." He looked down momentarily, knowing that he couldn't mention his service as a Ranger, even to them. "They wouldn't appreciate all these tattoos, either," he finally said, still rubbing his highly-inked forearm.

The man nodded. "I understand and we'll keep your name out of the filed report, but we'll keep your contact information in case we need to get a hold of you." He pulled a digital recorder out of his pocket and set it on the table, grinning. "Gotta love technology. I record it on here, hook it up to my computer and it fills everything in. Then I just go through and edit the report before printing it out."

"That's handy," Matt remarked, grinning.

Tommy nodded. "So, how do we do this?"

Rob gave him a soft smile. "You just tell us what happened last night and then after you get done; we'll ask both of you questions to fill in any blanks or to clarify a few things. Then we'll do the same with Jason and Matt since he seems to be the only doctor we can credibly take information from about the injuries you and Jason sustained."

"Umm well, okay." Tom sat quietly for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I, uh, came to town looking for my old friend Jason here," he began. "I was planning on looking him up the next day, that being today, and I was staying at the Hotel Nexus downtown. I got to talking to the desk clerk at the hotel and he suggested this club down the street as a place I might like."

"And what was the name of this club?" Rob asked.

"The Highliner," Tom answered. "When I got to the parking lot, I noticed how crowded it was and it seemed like an okay place, so I went in. I went up to the bar and ordered a beer, looking around for a place to sit. I had finished, or nearly finished, that beer when this guy came up to me and started talking. He said something about not seeing me in there before and stuff like that- the usual. He bought me a beer and we talked for a few more minutes, but it was so loud in there that we could hardly hear each other. I asked if there was anywhere in the club where it was quieter and he had me follow him."

He stopped and took a deep breath, recalling what had happened next. He so wished that he hadn't gone to that club in the first place. "We went down this short hallway and he opened one of the doors and went through. I followed him and the next thing I know, I wake up with a horrible pain in the back of my head and I'm..." he was too embarrassed to go on.

Without saying anything, Jason reached out and took hold of his friend's hand, giving it a squeeze to let him know that he wasn't alone.

Tommy looked over at his friend-his big, soulful eyes betraying his emotions. He shook his head slightly and cleared his throat again.

"You were... what?" Rob prompted gently. "What happened next?"

"When I woke up, I was stripped down to my boxers and tied up," he said quietly, looking down at his lap.

Isaac leaned forward, but didn't interrupt the man as he listened closely.

"He must've put something in my drink, because I fought as hard as I could and wasn't able to free myself. I'm pretty strong and have been a martial artist all my life, but... I just couldn't get loose."

After a few seconds, Tom continued. "The rest is a bit of a blur, but I do remember one of them holding my head and trying to make me... damn," he said, stopping again. It was really difficult for the man to talk about this-he felt so humiliated.

Rob looked over at Isaac and shook his head. With a slight nod, the other detective looked over at Jason. "How do you fit into all of this Jason?"

Jason blushed slightly. "I'd just gotten off shift and had the next couple of days off. I figured that I'd go have a few drinks, maybe find a person for the night, and go from there. After I'd gotten my beer, I found a table in the corner where I could watch the room. While I was drinking, Tom came in and at first I didn't recognize it was him." He grinned slightly. "Been a few years since I've seen him and Tom's bulked up a bit during that time. It wasn't until he was walking towards the back that I realized it was him." He paused for a few moments to catch his breath.

Even in his current state of mind, one of Jason's statements echoed in Tommy's head-_'maybe find a person for the night'_. He thought to himself, _'Wow, he's changed. I've never known him to be so... casual. I gotta talk to him.'_

"Working at the club at times, I know what goes on in the back rooms. When we were teens, Tom had told me that he was bi, so I didn't think anything about it at first, but the longer I sat there, the fact that he went with the guy pulled at me. So, I went to make sure he was okay. I had to kick the door open to get in because they'd done something to the lock. Even the key that we use sometimes to get into the rooms didn't work. First thing I saw was Tom tied up, his back bleeding and some guy trying to make him suck him off. That's when the fighting started. I threw several punches and more than a few kicks, took a few hits my own, but eventually they all left us alone in the room."

Tom's head had dropped again. He listened to his old friend while picking at a callous on his hand. Even with the pain in his back and head, he was still having trouble believing that something like this had actually happened to him.

Rob sighed. "Sounds like you two are the only ones to have gotten clear looks at these guys." He looked over at Tom. "And don't feel so bad about what happened. One of the victims is a cop."

"Really?" the science teacher asked, looking up. "Was the attack on him similar to what happened to me?"

"Slightly, only he didn't have a friend step in and save him. They managed to gang rape him. He's still in the hospital over at Memorial." He looked at Matt and Jason. "Probably why you two didn't know about it."

Isaac put a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Another reason is because the guy is Rob's brother. His case is being handled by a different detective since we're all on the same task force for this."

"Oh damn... I'm so sorry to hear that," Tommy said, looking into Rob's eyes. "How's he doing?"

"It's going to take some time. He developed an infection in a couple of the cuts and that knocked him down pretty hard. He's doing better though."

Matt found himself getting more and more upset about this assault on what he considered his community. "Anything I can do, guys... you just let me know. This has GOT to stop."

"Well, you can start by telling us what all injuries these two have." Isaac stated, sitting back a bit on the couch. "Because I know that Jason looks like he lost the fight with a dump truck and it's obvious that something happened to Tommy's back from Jason's statement."

Matt snorted. "Well, for starters, Jason still needs to get X-rays done before I know for sure if his ribs are cracked or bruised. Other than that, he's got several contusions to his sides and back, plus a couple on his upper arms and thighs." He watched as the 'in question' blushed slightly. "As for Tom, they got his back pretty good. From what I could see, Jason had to put in about 20 stitches in one cut and a total of 40 in another to close them up. There are several other cuts from whatever he was whipped with in addition to the bruising on his face, cut on his lip and a knot on the back of his head. He's also got a mild concussion."

Isaac grimaced. "Got you pretty good, huh?" he asked Tommy. "Any idea what you were whipped with?"

"A belt as far as I know; it was hard for me to see very much," Tom answered.

"It was a belt," Jason stated. "The guy wrapped it around his hand before he tried to hit me a couple of times with it. The guy that took Tom back to that room did it as well. That's what got my ribs."

"Anything else either one of you want to tell me? You never know what might help- even the smallest detail," Rob asked, looking from Jason to Tommy and back.

"How many of them were there, Jase? I seem to remember three, maybe four," Tom asked.

"There were five. The blonde with the belt was about my height, but had Matt's build. He was a fighter. There were four others, but I don't really remember what they looked like. All of them were around the same height and build." He was quiet for a moment. "My shirt, the one I wore last night-I got some of his blood on it."

"So you are going to get x-rays of your ribs, right Jason?" Isaac asked. "We'd like some pictures of the injuries to both yourself and Tommy." He turned to the other doctor. "Can you help us out with that, Matt?"

He nodded. "Yeah, not a problem. We're going over to the clinic up the road. It's a short drive and neither one of them is really up for a long trip right now. I'll get you guys copies of the reports as well. That way you have official records of their injuries by a third-party."

Rob fixed his eyes on the Original Red Ranger. "Jason, you work at that club from time to time, right?" Jason nodded but didn't say anything. "There have been a few incidences reported that involve that club. You think someone who works there might be involved?"

"It's possible. You'd have to get a list of the people working on the nights the attacks happened. Although if Tom was given something last night, the only person that could have done it would have been the bartender. No one else touched the drink before it was given to him."

"Do you know this bartender? Think he could be involved?"

"Not really. I've been going to a few other clubs on my nights off and they've got a string of bouncers they use. He wasn't there when I last worked a shift inside about a month ago." Jason shifted slightly, holding a hand to his ribs as he did.

"Alright then," Rob said, nodding. "So if there's nothing else you guys want to tell us, I guess we're finished here. Now the big question: Do you think you could pick them out if you saw them again? Any of them?"

Tommy nodded. "I think I could- the guy I talked to, anyway. Didn't really see the others too well."

Jason nodded. "And I can pick out the blond and maybe one other." He grinned. "Few of them won't be hard to tell for a while because they'll have black eyes and split lips."

"Do you guys have any suspects?" Matt asked the two detectives.

Isaac shook his head. "At the moment, Jason and Tom here have given us our best leads." He stood up. "Where is your shirt from last night Jason?"

"In the dirty clothes hamper, but it's the only thing in there."

-o-O-o-

Jason rolled his eyes as Matt glared at him when he tried to reach up for a pair of jeans he had on a shelf. The former Gold Ranger felt that they'd fit his friend and had reached for them automatically only to get thumped in the back of the head by Matt. "All right, I get the picture Matt, sheesh." He grabbed two button-up shirts off their hangers and walked over to the bed. "Either one should fit you and I figured that we could both handle buttons easier than something we had to pull over our heads."

"Oh yeah, I don't think I could handle a pullover right now," Tom said, standing beside his friend. He carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to roll his shoulders back. "Man, I am so stiff."

"Know what you mean." Jason took a seat close to his friend, looking up as Matt came over with pants for them both. "Hey Matt, think you can wrap my ribs for me? I know that they'll undo it when we get there, but I'm not sure if I can handle the car ride otherwise."

"Sure, I can do that. Let's get pants on you two first and then I'll wrap you up," Matt said. He handed a pair of the jeans to Tommy and the other to Jason. "Now be careful-I'll help."

Tom took the jeans and looked at Jason. "Think they'll fit?"

He laughed softly. "Considering we're about the same build, but you've got some height on me, yeah. I wear my pants a little long, especially the jeans. They fit better over my boots that way."

"Okay, we'll see," he chuckled. Once he had them gotten them on with Matt's help, he turned to his old friend. "Never thought I'd be able to wear your clothes. I've always been too skinny," he said with a smile.

"Uh huh, well you can't say that now." Jason had managed to get his own jeans on and was waiting for Matt to wrap his ribs. "When I saw you last night, after seeing you walk and realizing that it really was you, I was like 'Wow'. You've changed bro, but it looks really good on you."

Tommy smiled. "Thanks. It's taken me a while, but I haven't had much else to do lately." He paused and then something Jason said hit him. "You recognized my walk?"

Blushing slightly, Jason nodded. "Yeah, otherwise I probably never would have figured out it was you."

"Well, I'm glad you did, but I didn't think I had such a distinctive walk." He paused while Matt helped him put the shirt on. "Well, whaddya know? It fits," he smiled.

"Don't get offended Tom, but you're a little bowlegged. Makes you, I don't know, because it's hardly a strut. Your stride is just very distinct and it has been since we were teens."

Tommy grinned. "I'm not offended- I've known that forever," he laughed. "You have a bit of a strut yourself, you know."

"Here, let me help you stand up so I can help you with the jeans," Matt told Jason.

Jason let Matt help him to his feet, wincing as he did despite his wrapped ribs. His eyes met those of his friend and colleague before sighing softly. "Think you might be right about a muscle or two being involved."

"Ooh, ya think?" Matt said sarcastically and shook his head. "We'll find out for sure at the clinic. Let's get your shirt on, hardhead."

"Keep it up and the next time that Ichi needs someone to give him a shot because you're too busy holding his head up to keep him from puking all over the place, I'll hang up on you and wait an hour before I take pity on you."

Tommy's eyes widened a bit. "He get like that often?"

Matt rolled his eyes as he finished helping Jason with the shirt. "Only when he's hurting, hungover, or sick." He grinned. "So yeah, pretty much."

A single finger was held in front of the man's face, letting the speaker know what Jason thought of that comment.

Cocking his head a bit to the side, Matt grinned. "Now Jason, what have I told you about telling people your IQ."

Not able to hold it back, Tommy burst out laughing at that even though it hurt his back. "Good one, Matt...nice," he said, chuckling.

The doctor shrugged. "Learned real quick that you had to give as good as you got in order to get Jase's respect."

"Ain't that the truth-I had to kick his ass repeatedly when we first met," Tom said with a mischievous grin aimed at his old friend.

"Uh huh, just watch it, Christmas. Remember, I know some of _your_ secrets too." Jason pointed a finger at his friend and then winked.

"'Christmas'? 'Rex'? You guys are all about nicknames, aren'tcha?" Matt remarked.

Grinning, the Original Red Ranger nodded. "Yeah, I guess we are. Habit you know? From high school when you were trying to get someone's attention without being noticed."

"I suppose it would be pointless to ask about the origin of those nicknames, huh?" Matt asked, getting nods from both men. "Thought so," he said with a sigh. "Let's get this over with, okay?" he asked, moving to help them both to their feet.

-o-O-o-

Jake Masters raised an eyebrow when the saw the trio walk in the door. He looked over at Jason, frowning. "What the hell did you do? Get the whole bar to attack you?"

Holding his ribs, Jason leaned against the wall. "No, only half. How's it goin', Jake?"

"It _was_ going pretty good." He looked at the other two men before focusing on Matt. "Had to drag him in here on a nice, slow day, huh?"

"Oh yeah, something just told me you needed a problem patient to look after," Matt answered with a grin. "This is Tommy, Jason's friend, by the way."

"Problem patient? Jason lives the adage that doctors make the worst patients." Shaking his head, he held his hand out to Tommy. "Jacob Masters, but everyone calls me Jake." He was quiet for a moment, eying both men. "All right, I'll take both of you guys so that the others can cover our regular patients." Going over to a door, he scanned his badge and then held it open. "Right this way gentlemen, and Matt, you can come too."

Since Jake was helping Jason get down the hallway, Tommy leaned on Matt for support. "Sorry- I just feel so weak and stiff," he said by way of apology.

Matt shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Tom. We all need people to lean on every once in a while." He watched the pair ahead of him. "And if you can help Jason in any way, you'd have my undying gratitude. The way he lives right now, it's not healthy and scares me more than I want to admit."

"What is it specifically that he does that scares you, Matt? Is it the drinking? The fighting?"

The other man snorted. "The drinking… the fighting… the one night stands." He sighed. "Sometimes he'll go for days at a time on little sleep and without eating a proper meal, especially when he's not at the hospital. He hasn't taken a real vacation since he started working in Seattle and rarely speaks to anyone outside of his parents." He paused to give Jake space to help Jason into the exam room. "His workouts are grueling and I've found him almost unconscious at times at the bottom of the steps leading down to the beach where he runs." He met the other man's eyes. "I don't want to go over there one day and find him dead."

Tom's eyes widened and a look of deep concern appeared immediately. "Oh God, Matt... I had no idea it was that bad. What has gotten into him? He was one of the straightest-laced guys in town back when we were in high school. He was all about nutrition and taking care of yourself. Something has happened to him... no idea what, but something."

"Part of it has to do with the fact that he refused to tell anyone that he was gay. The rest," Matt paused, "Well, that you're gonna have to talk to him about." He helped him to the exam room.

"Oh, I intend to do just that, don't worry," Tommy replied once he was seated on the table. "Looks like we're gonna be spending some time together whether he likes it or not."

"If his ribs are hurt like I think they are, then yeah, he's going to have to take time off from work and let them heal." Matt looked over as Jake helped Jason into the room. The Original Red Ranger was now shirtless and it was obvious that he was in pain.

Jake glared at Jason as he helped him onto the other table in the room. "Don't you dare move unless Matt or I help you, Jason." He looked over at the other doctor. "Stupid stubborn bastard." He held his fingers up so that they were almost touching. "I'm this close to sending his ass down to Northwest for admission."

"It's not that bad, Jake- just hurts is all," Jason protested. "Just get the x-rays done so we know what we're looking at. I'm really more concerned about Tommy there anyway."

"I'm okay, Jase- let's get you taken care of, alright? I think you're hurt worse than I am anyway," Tommy responded.

Snorting, the man shook his head. "The X-rays are being developed, but I'm being serious here, Jason. That muscle has spacing in it, which means you either separated it or seriously strained it." He shook his head. "You're out of work for the next month, end of discussion or I will admit you."

"A month? You've gotta be kiddin' me! What the hell am I supposed to do for a fuckin' month?" Jason asked, getting perturbed.

Matt arched an eyebrow. "How about using some of the 90 plus days of vacation time that you've got on the books and catching up with your friend? Hell, get out of town after a couple of weeks, but you need the break, Jase."

Looking over at the friend in question, Jason gave him a slight smile. He actually wasn't at all sure that Tommy would want to hang out with him for that long. True, he had come looking for him, but Jason wondered if he was going to like what he found. "Tom and I can talk about that," he finally said.

The former Green Ranger nodded. "We will... in addition to several other things," he said, showing a bit of the old Oliver attitude.

For a few moments, Jacob was silent and then he seemed to come to a decision. "Sixty days Jason. I'll file the paperwork for you when I go to the hospital tomorrow. You'll still get paid, but you need the time off and not just to heal." He put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'm not going to lose one of my best young doctors to burnout before they can really begin their careers and you're heading that way." He gave the shoulder beneath his hand another squeeze. "Now, let me go see if your films are done, then Matt and I will finish up with you two and get you on your way."

Jason sighed deeply, seemingly resigned to his fate. "Well Tom, looks like we've got some time if you really wanna get caught up. Maybe we should take Matt's suggestion and go somewhere-we can talk about it."

"Sounds good to me. After all, you're why I'm in Seattle anyway," Tommy answered.

-o-O-o-

_Authors' Notes: Please don't forget to review! We really appreciate it!_


	3. An Unburdening of Souls

The Highliner

By A Warrior's Prophet

**Disclaimers**: See Chapter 1.

**Authors' Notes**: Sorry for the long delay in updating—we have so many other stories going that it's hard to get around to all of them. Speaking of, please check out some of our other labors of love. We really appreciate all reviews as it lets us know what you like and what you don't, so please leave us some feedback!

**Chapter 3**—An Unburdening of Souls

~~4 Days Later~~

Jason sighed softly as he lay in the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The lack of activity coming from the kitchen let him know that Matt had indeed left that morning, which meant he and Tommy were alone. Years ago, he would never have even balked at the idea of spending time alone with the man that had been his best friend. Now, Jason knew that there was no way he could get out of answering his friend's questions. It was just a matter of when the former White Ranger was going to ask them.

Tommy knocked gently at the slightly open door and peaked in. "You awake?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Just haven't made the decision to actually get up yet."

Smiling warmly, Tom walked in and sat on the edge of the bed near his friend. He reached over and gently laid an open hand on Jason's wrapped chest. "How're you feeling? You need anything?"

He shivered slightly at the contact, but managed to meet Tommy's eyes. "I'm a little stiff from not doing much, but I feel better than I did yesterday." He smiled softly. "Guess each day helps a little."

"Oh yeah-it'll get better day by day. Need some help getting up?"

The doctor shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but if I do it slowly and on my own, I can stretch a little bit. Helps with the soreness once I get on my feet." He grinned a bit. "I'd love some coffee though."

"Oh no, Matt made me promise and he showed me how to help. Now you're gonna let me help," Tom protested. "Raise your arms a little," he requested and waited on his friend to comply.

"Tom," Jason sighed, knowing that it was useless to argue with the man, held up his arms as requested and couldn't hold back a small wince as the action pulled at the muscles in his side.

"I'll be gentle, I promise," Tom said, leaning forward and slipping his arms under Jason's armpits. Once they were practically chest to chest, Tommy sat back slowly, pulling Jason up with him. He held on while the Original Red Ranger settled himself into a seated position. "There-you okay?" he whispered, his mouth being close to Jason's ear.

A blush crept over the man and he could only nod his head, not trusting himself to speak as he tried to will his body into submission. When Tommy had leaned against his chest, it had taken all of his willpower to not just lean back and hold the man against his own chest. Now, his body was reacting to the former Ranger Commander's presence and it was taking everything he had to not just give in and go with the flow.

Tom had felt Jason's breathing speed up and thought that it was caused by pain. He leaned back enough to look into his friend's face. "Are you sure? I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, speaking so softly that his breath ghosted over Jason's face.

"No..." He had to stop and swallow hard before trying to speak again. "No, I'm good. Just takes a bit getting adjusted, you know?"

"Okay then. You let me know when you're ready to stand, alright?" Tom let go gradually, afraid that Jason might fall backwards if he did it too suddenly. He smiled at his friend. "Glad my back is getting better. Now I can help you more. Gotta love that Ranger rapid healing," he grinned.

Jason snorted. "Wish my powers were a little newer so that it'd help me more. I hate feeling like this." He met Tom's eyes. "Really looking forward to being able to roll onto my side again when I'm sleeping." He finally nodded. "Guess we should get me standing because nature's starting to make a few urgent demands."

"I hear ya," Tom said with a smile and stood beside the bed, repeating the earlier hold on his friend and pulling him gently to a standing position. "Well, my powers are newer-wish I could transfer some to you." He didn't know if Jason knew about his most recent stint as a Ranger or not, but figured it'd come up in conversation eventually anyway.

"You know, when I heard that there was 'weird shit' going on in Reefside, I should have figured that it was Ranger related. Just didn't think you'd be involved in it." He let Tommy help him to the bathroom.

"Now Rex, have you ever known me to be able to avoid trouble? I've got a freakin' sign on my back or somethin'," he chuckled.

"True, but I didn't even know you were in Reefside." As they got to the bathroom, he looked at Tom. "I'll be okay from here, I promise. If you'll start the coffee, I'd really appreciate it."

The former Ranger Commander eyed his friend a bit suspiciously. "Okay...but you call me when you're finished and I'll help you to the kitchen, okay?"

"All right, and thanks Tom." Going into the bathroom, Jason shut the door before leaning against the sink. He was still half-hard and nothing he had thought about so far had done anything to help the situation. Having Tommy that close, being able to feel his friend's breath as it ghosted over his skin. Just the thought was enough to return him to full hardness and a soft moan to slip from him.

Walking into the kitchen, Tom set about making some coffee and seeing what was available for breakfast. Once he'd gotten the eggs and bacon out and gotten them started, his mind began to wander as he worked. _'I know Jase and I haven't seen each other for a while and I know what all Matt told me, but...why does he treat me almost like a stranger?'_

Sighing softly, Jason turned on the tap at the sink and stuck his hand into the ice cold water. The shock was enough to help ease the hardness a little so that he could take care of other business. Using his cold hand vanquished the rest of his arousal and the former Gold Ranger was able to take care of the morning necessities. After he was done, Jason stared at himself in the mirror. There were times that he didn't recognize the person he had become. The way he was acting with Tom had to be leaving the man as baffled as he was feeling. Hell, he'd treated Matt more warmly than he had Tommy and while Matt was a good friend, they had nowhere near the history that he and Tommy shared. _'Maybe that's part of the problem,'_ he thought to himself. With a soft sigh, he opened the door and stepped back out into the bedroom. "Hey Tom, I'm done."

The science teacher was shaken from his thoughts. "Oh, okay-just a sec," he called, turning down the heat on the stove. Once he got back into Jason's room, he smiled warmly, trying his best to put the man at ease. "Hope eggs and bacon are okay. It's all I could find." He moved over to his friend's side and carefully supported him as they walked. "Breakfast bar or living room?"

"How about the breakfast bar for now?" He chuckled softly. "Guess I should call in an order to the grocery store before we're eating crackers with butter on them."

Tommy laughed. "Not like we haven't done that before. I remember times like that back in the day."

He helped Jason onto one of the stools at the bar and got back to the food on the stove before it was ruined. After the bacon had been turned and the eggs stirred, he fixed two cups of coffee. "Want toast?" he asked, sliding a steaming mug in front of his friend.

"Are you kidding? Gotta have toast with eggs and bacon. There should be some homemade blackberry jam in the fridge." He took a drink of his coffee. "One of the nurses gave it to me a couple weeks ago."

Tom raised his eyebrows. "Ooh, that sounds good. Let me look." Opening the fridge door, he bent over looking into the disorganized shelves for the item in question. "I'll find it, gimme a second," he said with a chuckle.

Jason took a moment to admire the view presented to him before chuckling softly. "Look in the door next to the ketchup."

Raising his head a little, he finally spotted the jam. "Oh, here we go," he said, straightening up and closing the door. He tried to open it, but the lid was stuck tight. Using the hem of his t-shirt, he tried again to open it, finally succeeding. "Mmm, that smells good," he said, still holding the jar with his shirt. Being that the sleep pants he wore belonged to Jason, they were a bit too big in the waist and thus fell a little low on his hips.

"Yeah, but wait until you taste it." His voice was a little husky as his mind whirled with what he'd seen. As Tom had raised his shirt, the well-toned abs had been clearly visible along with the beginnings of a dark trail just under his navel. Jason had no problems remembering what the dark curly hair led down to and it made him wonder if anything else had grown as Tom had filled out. He swallowed hard and dropped his gaze while picking up his coffee cup with a shaking hand when all he wanted to do was run his fingers through the dark curls and explore what lay beneath them.

Licking his lips, Tom smiled. "Mmmm, I'll bet. I'll make some toast to put it on," he said, oblivious to the reaction he was causing in his old friend. He turned to pop some bread in the toaster while taking up the eggs and bacon. "Anything else you want?"

More than anything, Jason wanted to reply with what was going through his head, but he couldn't bring himself to say 'Just you' to his friend. "No, that'll work. Thanks for cooking." He grinned. "Least this time you didn't set off the smoke alarms."

Tommy turned and stuck out his tongue. "Smartass," he said with a grin. "So I'm not the 'happy homemaker'-so shoot me." He put a plate full of food in front of Jason. "Shut up and eat your food," he said with a wink. He took a seat beside him and started in on his eggs.

With a grin, the former Gold Ranger started eating. After a few bites, he nodded. "Not bad. Seems there might be hope for your cooking skills yet."

"I keep myself alive pretty well-don't have anybody to cook for me, ya know." He took another sip of coffee. "You cook much? I know Mama Scott taught you a trick or two."

The doctor shrugged. "She did, but I don't really like cooking just for myself. Simple stuff I'll do, like a good minestrone, pancakes, or stuff like this, but not much else." He took another drink of coffee and looked over at Tommy. "It's just not any fun to cook only for myself, you know? So I don't do a lot of it. If I'm home on the weekend, I'll usually order something or go out to eat. Every once in a while, Matt, Ichi and I will get together and have dinner or throw a clam bake, but that doesn't happen a lot either."

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean about cooking for just one," he sighed. "I don't like doing it either." Tommy sat and thought for a moment how sad it was that both of them were so lonely and lived so far apart. "You should come visit sometime," he said before he could stop himself.

Jason's breath caught at the simple invitation and for a moment he actually considered it before shaking his head. "I haven't been back to California since the Red mission. Not so sure it'd be a good idea."

"Oh? Why is that?" he asked, surprised by that response. "It's your home, after all. Your parents are still there."

With a soft sigh, he pushed his empty plate away from him. "Tom, I left for a reason and hurt a lot of people doing it. My parents know where I am and we talk once in a while on the phone, but I don't even go home for the holidays." He closed his eyes for a moment before turning to look at his friend. "Each year I volunteer to work Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. I figure that the guys with families deserve the chance to spend it there instead of with the idiots that get hurt on those days." He snorted. "Hell, I haven't even been to see my parents since I moved to Colorado for med school. They came to see me once while I was there, but that was before the mission."

"Damn, Jase...why have you cut yourself off like this? Your old friends still care about you. I still care about you," he said, reaching out and placing his hand over his friend's.

Jason jerked his hand like he'd been stung. "You don't know me anymore, Tom. So much has changed since high school. Hell, a lot's changed between the Red mission and now." He met his friend's eyes as his own started to water. "You wouldn't care about me or want to be friends with me if you knew everything. As for my old 'friends'? Zack slammed the door in my face the last time I tried to talk him. Billy's the only one that I've talked to in years and he only has a vague idea of where I'm at." He snorted and gave the former Green Ranger a sad smile. "Only three people know where I am, well four now with you, and should really stay that way. It's better for everyone." Slowly, he started to stand up from the stool, his muscles stiff from sitting without any support on his back.

Tom got up quickly and tried to help him. "Jase, let me help," he said, taking hold of the man. He didn't wait for Jason's approval, he just helped him over to the recliner and got him seated. Sitting down in the chair close by, he looked his old friend in the face. "Why don't you let me be the judge of whether or not I want to be your friend anymore. Tell me what it is that you think is so bad."

"Why? Why don't you just leave while you can and forget that you ever found me? I don't deserve your friendship or your understanding. So please, just leave Tom and go back to your life, let me get on with what there is of mine."

Tommy recoiled a bit, shocked by Jason's sudden outburst. "Do you really want me to go? I'll leave if that's what you really want," he said, the hurt obvious in his eyes and his voice.

"No, it's not what I want, but it's what's best!" He got to his feet, uncaring about the pain that shot through his body when his heart was shattering. "Everything I touch anymore goes to shit. People that I thought I knew, that cared, practically spit in my face after I told them that I was gay. Emily slapped me before her ex pulled a gun and threatened to kill me just because he thought I'd used her to get closer to him. Zack wouldn't even let me inside after Kim had told him over the phone. So, I'm sorry if you feel hurt by me not talking to you, but when the people that I thought I could trust and would understand threw it all back in my face time after time," he shook his head. "Well, I wasn't going to let it happen again. That's why I left Angel Grove after you guys had to take the Gold powers back. School just gave me the excuse I needed."

Tom stood up when Jason did, afraid that his friend would hurt himself. He stood and listened quietly though. Once the Original Red Ranger stopped talking, he gathered his thoughts for a response. "Jason, please...hear me out. I'm so sorry that those things happened to you-I had no idea. It really pisses me off that our old friends would act like that." He stepped forward when Jason had to grab the chair for support. "Come on, sit down...please. You're gonna hurt yourself." Once he'd helped Jason retake his seat in the recliner, he continued. "Look, I don't care if you're gay! Why would I? I'm bi and have been for a long time! And the fact that you went to medical school and became a doctor...wow, that's something else. I'm so proud of you. Please Jason, don't shut me out. You've always been a good friend to me-even when the others didn't really want me around, you were always there for me. Let me be there for you."

He shook his head. "You don't understand." One hand came up to wipe at his eyes before he lifted the tear-filled dark pools to stare at his friend. "Do you know why I went to the Peace Conference? Why I acted like I'd fallen so hard for Emily? Or why I stopped sparring with you as much when I came back?"

"No, I don't-but I'd like to understand. Please Jase, talk to me," he said, speaking as gently as he could. It wasn't often he'd seen his friend get upset enough to tear up and it worried him.

It took several minutes before Jason was able to get up the courage to tell his friend the truth and if anyone deserved it, Tommy did. The man had stood beside Jason in battle and had his back in more things than he could count, but when it had come to this, instead of trusting him, Jason had run. "You. I left to go to the Peace Conference because you made me question everything. I'd wake up from wet dreams that were all about you only to see you sleeping near me. Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself thinking about what it'd be like to be with you, but you were with Kim and I knew that there'd never be a chance for us. So when the conference came up, I jumped at it."

Tom's eyes opened wider and his mouth dropped open a bit. "Me? You left because of me?" He just couldn't wrap his head around it.

Slowly, the other man nodded. "When I came back to re-join you guys, I'd just started to understand that there was nothing wrong with me and that maybe I was bi, like you. Then the way both Adam and Kat would act around you, I was certain that you were dating at least one of them, so I tried to use Emily as a way to get over you." He snorted. "That didn't go well and I'd just admitted to myself that I maybe I was gay when the power started acting up on me. It left me shaken in ways that I can't even describe and I had to get away." He was quiet for a moment before meeting his friend's eyes again. "After the tournament for the Children's Home, I told Kim that I thought I was gay. She laughed at me and after realizing I was serious, she slapped me and left. I left after that and thought I'd seen the last of Angel Grove until the Red mission." He sighed softly. "It shook me hard seeing you there."

Scooting up to sit on the edge of his seat, Tom leaned toward his friend. "We've always been good friends, though. We've slept in the same bed, showered together, went skinny dipping together," he said with a bit of a grin. "Why would seeing me again shake you so badly? Did you honestly think that I would push you away? Seriously?"

"Because I thought I'd gotten over you. That I'd grown used to the idea that there could never be anything between us." He smiled sadly. "I figured that you'd have settled down with a wife and had a couple of kids by the next time I saw you and that would have helped a lot. You were still single though, and no matter how hard I tried, all I could think about was losing your friendship if I told you that I loved you." Jason closed his eyes for a moment and didn't try to stop the tears that fell slowly when he opened them again. "So when you asked to get a drink that evening, I figured it'd be a good time to talk, but the longer I was alone with my thoughts and in town where there were so many memories, the more terrified I got that you'd kick me to the curb. So, I ran. Two days later I was moving out of my place in Colorado on the way up here to finish my residency. I called Billy and told him that I was heading towards Seattle. Called my parents when I got settled and gave them my address, but after that, I stopped because I wasn't sure who I could consider a friend anymore or if anyone else would even care."

"Oh my god, Rex. You never said anything to me, never asked me how I felt...you just assumed that there could never be anything between us. How could you do that to me?" He stood up in a huff and paced across the room. "You know, you could've said something, given me a hint..._something_! Here I've been thinking all these years that I'd done something wrong, overstepped my bounds, pissed you off somehow...how else could I explain why my supposed best friend would just fall off the face of the earth?" He turned to the wall behind him and slammed his fist into it, causing the pictures on it to tilt. "I can't believe this!"

"I never said anything because you were always with someone! I'm not going to be the person that was responsible for breaking up something you had going with another person. Billy told me how Kim's letter hurt you and I didn't want to be responsible for someone else feeling that way because you broke up with them over me. Plus you were leading a team, Tom, and that takes priority over everything because if your head's not in the game, then people could die. I was not going to have that kind of blood on my hands. We've already got enough from people who were killed just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time when their town became a war zone."

That hit Tom right in the gut like a roundhouse. His head dropped a bit and his shoulders slumped. "I know...believe me, I know better than any of you. You've never been used like a fuckin' prized pit bull, killing dozens of people and unable to stop yourself." He couldn't even look up at Jason as he leaned against the wall, suddenly reliving those horrible days he spent under Rita's control. No one but Jason could revive that in him to that degree. Tears ran down his cheeks unchecked as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Cursing himself under his breath, Jason got up and carefully made it to his friend's side. "And you don't know what it's like to face your best friend, the man you love, and want nothing more than to kill him so that no one else can ever have him." He reached out a shaking hand to his friend's arm. "When I was under Maligore's control, that's all I wanted to do. When you and Kim were pulling me up, I just wanted you to let me go because then it would have been over."

Tommy raised his head slowly and looked into Jason's eyes. "That would have been such a waste. You've always been one of the best people I've ever known. I don't know why you're suddenly so down on yourself." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. Turning his big, chocolate brown eyes on Jason he asked, "You said that you loved me...do you still?"

Jason gave him a sad smile. "The only people that I have ever tried to date reminded me of you. Every year on your birthday and the anniversary of when we broke Rita's spell on you, I go to the beach and just sit there because it's where I feel closest to you. I tried so hard for a while to find someone else that I could love or even just talk to, but there are too many secrets in my past that I can't tell anyone who hasn't been there. After all this time, I can honestly say that I'll probably never love someone else like I did and do, love you."

A few more tears ran down Tommy's cheeks as he stood so close, looking into Jason's eyes. "Why couldn't you have just found a way to tell me this years ago?" He slipped his arms around Jason and carefully pulled him closer, burying his face in the man's neck.

The Original Red Ranger let his own tears fall. "I was so scared, Tom. Everyone else had turned their backs on me and I started wondering if there was something wrong with me. And you seemed so happy the last time I saw you at home before the mission." He held onto Tommy, shaking. "It would have killed me if you turned your back on me and probably still would. It's why I never came home or tried to get in touch with you because I can take everyone else's shunning, but it'd kill me if you pushed me away as well."

Tommy lifted his head and looked at Jason's face closely for a moment. All sorts of memories and feelings came flooding back, but there was an overwhelming urge there too. Taking one hand from Jason's back, he laid it aside the man's strong jaw. Moving slowly to close the little bit of distance between them, Tommy tilted his head slightly and gently pressed his lips to Jason's.

At first Jason froze, but with a soft sob he relaxed into the kiss, allowing it to continue.

After several moments, Tom broke the kiss and pulled back, slowly opening his eyes. "I've actually wanted to do that for years," he whispered, his lips still very close to Jason's.

Leaning in, Jason let his forehead rest against the other man's. "I'm sorry about all of this, Tom. I never wanted to hurt you, but I really thought that there wouldn't be an 'us'." He pulled back a bit and met his friend's warm, chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry I made you wait to kiss me like that." He leaned in once again, barely able to hold back a groan as his ribs protested the movement.

Tom smiled. "Let's go sit down, okay? I don't want you hurting yourself." With that, he led Jason over to the couch and then sat beside him. "Is that better?" he asked, "Or would you prefer to lie down?"

"Lay down." Reaching out a shaking hand, Jason brought it up to his friend's face and gently cupped it. "But only if you lay with me."

"Deal," Tommy said with a nod and a smile. He helped Jason back to his feet and into his bedroom. "By the way, how are you feeling now? Do you need your pain meds?"

"My ribs hurt, but I'd rather not take anything just yet." Once settled in the bed, Jason looked up at his friend before patting the spot beside him. "Right now, I just want to hold you, if you'll let me."

Giving Jason a warm smile, Tommy peeled off his t-shirt and dropped it on the floor carelessly. He climbed into his friend's bed and pulled the sheet up over the both of them. "I'd like nothing more," he whispered, lying on his side and placing a hand on the man's stomach.

Sighing softly, Jason wrapped his arms around the man, holding him close before resting his chin on Tommy's head. "I've wanted to do this since you got here. That first night, being so close to you, it was torture knowing that you slipping your arm around me in your sleep might be the only time I got to touch you like that." He closed his eyes for a moment before looking down at the long lashes that framed his friend's eyes. "Wanted this for so long."

Tom moaned softly and gently ran a hand up and down Jason's chest. "Ya know, you're my best friend in the world-you have been for...well, forever. But this doesn't seem weird to me at all. It feels...right." He turned and looked up into Jason's face.

"I know." He let one hand move to rest on his friend's hip. "Feels like all the pieces to the puzzle are finally together and the whole picture is visible."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm glad you finally told me, Jase. I only wish you'd done it sooner," Tom replied, carefully snuggling more into Jason's side.

"I don't think I was really ready to unless there was no other choice." He moved his other hand to lightly stroke his friend's cheek. "And with that stubborn streak you have, I know that you wouldn't have left me with any other option but to tell you."

Tom nodded. "Sometimes, backing you into a corner is the only way to get anything out of you. And you call ME the stubborn one?"

Jason blushed slightly before chuckling. "Guess it is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, huh?"

"Yeah, just slightly," Tom laughed. He laid his head back further and stretched up to kiss Jason again. "Ya know, I could get used to this," he said with a warm smile.

"Mmm, oh yeah, very easily." For a moment, the former Gold Ranger looked into the warm, chocolate eyes before leaning forward and recapturing the soft lips with his own. He parted his lips slightly, wondering what his friend would do.

Momentarily, Tom wafted between being cautious and going with what he felt. His overriding urge to really kiss Jason won out, however, and he allowed himself to quickly lick at his friend's lips, testing the waters.

With a soft sigh, Jason parted his lips and let his own tongue flick out, teasing Tom's lips until he was able to slip inside. The first touch of their tongues together made him groan and pull his friend closer as he began to explore the warm cavern.

Tommy moaned as well, allowing Jason to explore to his heart's content. He did join in the fun, though, allowing his own tongue to dance and play with that of his friend's. Once they were forced to come up for air, the former Green Ranger moaned again. "Mmm, you taste good," he said in a low, sultry voice.

With a soft sigh, Jason leaned back a bit as he looked into his friend's eyes. "Gotta admit, you have a taste that I could definitely become addicted to." He leaned in and nipped lightly at the kiss-swollen lips. As he tried to shift to allow them more contact, the move pulled at Jason's ribs, causing him to hiss in pain and settle back.

"Ooh, be careful," Tom said, laying a hand gently on the wrapped ribs. "Why don't you take your medicine and get some rest? I'm definitely not going anywhere," he said with a grin that held promise.

He nodded. "After I take a nap, would you help me get a shower? I could definitely use one and I'll need some help."

"Of course I will. Could probably use one myself. Now, I'm gonna get your pills and you're gonna take 'em like a good boy, right?"

Rolling his eyes, Jason leaned up and kissed him quickly. "Yes mom."

A broad smile crossed Tommy's handsome, but still slightly bruised face. "Okay, be right back." With that, he slowly got up out of the bed and had to adjust the too-large sleep pants to keep them from falling to the floor. He chuckled at the look on Jason's face and went to find the bottles in the medicine cabinet.

Jason settled against the pillows and tried to get comfortable while Tom was getting his meds. He hated taking the things, but knew that they would help him get better than if he tried to work through the pain alone.

Tommy came back in with two pills in his hand and stopped at the edge of the bed. "Whaddya want to drink? Water, Gatorade, juice?"

"Gatorade, please. The muscle relaxers dehydrate me, but I know that I need them."

"Okay, Gatorade it is. And I'll bring a straw too-be right back," he said with a smile, heading out to the kitchen. While he was getting the necessary items, he was thinking how nice it was to have someone to take care of. He didn't do well on his own and since he and Hayley had broken up, he'd been pretty lonely.

Getting comfortable, Jason found himself wondering how he could have ever believed that Tommy would push him away or turn his back on him. Then again, he would never have thought Kim or Zack capable of that either, but both of them had shunned Jason like he had some sort of disease that they could catch. It had hurt worse than anything he'd ever experienced and made him doubt the rest of his friends. He'd only spoken to Billy after the mission because Jason had run into the man, literally, while getting gas on his way out of town. The former Blue Ranger had persuaded Jason to eat with him and over dinner had gotten the story out of him. The blond had just shaken his head before getting up and walking over to Jason and giving him a hug. That night, he'd slept in Billy's spare room and ate breakfast with him the next day before going back to Colorado. It was only the promise he'd made to the man to call him once he got an idea of where he was going that had made Jason call Billy when he got to Seattle. His old friend hadn't pressed for information and Jason knew that if Billy wanted to, he could find him without any problems. Now, he had Tommy to lean on and Jason found he liked that idea very much.

"Okay, here we go, bro," Tom said, coming in with the drink. He put the pills in Jason's hand and then gave him the Gatorade bottle, holding the straw for him. "Okay, is there anything else I can do for ya before I make myself scarce so you can sleep?"

Taking the pills, Jason downed them with a long drink and then settled back against the pillows once again. "Stay with me until I go to sleep? Then you can do whatever you need to while I'm resting."

"Sure," Tom said, taking a seat next to Jason. He sat and looked at the man that he'd known as his best friend for years. Now though, there was something else in his eyes. Tom smiled a little and leaned forward, giving Jason's lips a quick little lick. He chuckled softly and then pressed his soft lips to the other man's.

The former Gold Ranger let the other man lead and relaxed under his friend's gentle kiss. His hands came up and settled on Tom's hips while his thumbs traced small circles where they rested.

Tom eventually pulled back, taking a much-needed breath. "Yep, I could definitely get used to this," he smiled, resting his forehead against his friend's.

"Me too." Jason smiled softly at his friend before wrapping his arms around the other man and just holding him. Slowly, the meds took effect and his arms loosened, but even in sleep he didn't fully let go of Tommy.

Staying put as long as he could, Tom only gently pulled away when he felt cramps starting. He covered Jason up and placed another soft kiss on the man's forehead. "Get better, bro-we've got a long way to go from here," he whispered and got up to let the man rest.

When the door to the garage opened, the adult Lab raised his head and sniffed cautiously. The smell wasn't that of his master, but he could tell that the one who cared for him was close. Getting to his feet, he peered around the cold metal beast that had brought his master and this new person home. When he was sure the coast was clear, he entered the house. The soft pad of feet behind him told the larger dog that the young whelp had followed him. Lowering his nose slightly, he set out to find his master. When he caught the scent of his owner, the Lab moved quicker until he entered the room. It only took a few moments for him to realize that his master was not well and he slowly made his way to the bed.

Coming to a stop at the bottom of the bed, the Lab sniffed again and his tail began to wag as he found his master. His long tongue slipped out of his mouth and began to lick where his master's scent was the strongest.

Out in the garage, Tommy was trying to locate his trusty gym bag. He knew that he usually kept an extra pair of sweat pants in there and he needed them right now. 'I'm gonna have to do laundry. I can't keep wearing Jason's clothes,' he thought, finally finding the black bag on the black floorboard. Pulling out the pants, he started back into the house.

Jason frowned when he felt the wetness on his foot and a moment later he could feel a cold nose there as well. Opening his eyes, he raised his head and looked down at the foot of the bed. "Aw, yuck! Rocky! What the hell are you doing?" About that time, the other smaller pup sneezed, spraying his master's foot. "Cole! Can't you do that somewhere else? Come on guys."

With a deep bark, the larger dog jumped onto the bed, taking his master's words to be an invitation. Moving up the bed, he flopped down beside the man and laid his head on his master's stomach while his tail thumped on the bed.

As Tommy re-entered the house, he heard Jason's voice but couldn't make out what he was saying. He moved in that direction, thinking that maybe his friend was calling out for him.

Shaking his head at the smell that tickled his nose, the pup started sniffing again only to sneeze once more.

Jason groaned. "Cole! Will you stop that already?" He looked down at the eyes that stared at him. "And you, did I say you could lay there Rocky? No, I don't think I did. You big lug." Despite his words, the tone of Jason's voice was definitely amused. With a grin he shook his head and started scratching behind the ears of the big Lab. "Missed me, haven't you, bud?"

The dog didn't move except to thump his tail repeatedly against the bed.

The former White Ranger had arrived at the door just in time to hear Jason talking to his big yellow housemate. Now he just leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed on his chest, a huge grin on his face. "Looks like you got a couple of buddies there, huh?"

Tom watched as the round pup continued to sniff and sneeze on Jason's bare foot. "Is it that smelly, huh?" he asked with a laugh.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah, they keep me company." He patted the big Lab on the bed. "This is Rocky and the little sneezer down there is Cole."

"Oh, okay," he nodded. Then the names hit him. "Rocky and Cole? Seriously?"

Chuckling softly, Jason grinned at him. "Yeah, Rocky here is loyal to a fault and is a chow-hound." He nodded towards the pup. "And little Cole, he can't stay out of trouble for anything and is always up your butt like the eager pup he is just wanting to please."

"Highly appropriate, then," he chuckled. "Can't wait to tell Rocky that he has a namesake."

The grin on the former Gold Ranger's face slips a bit. "Have you talked to them lately?" He doesn't raise his eyes to meet Tommy's as he plays with Rocky's ears. It's an action that soothes both dog and master.

The slight change in his friend's mood didn't go unnoticed. Tom stepped over and took a seat at the foot of the bed so he could keep an eye on the mischievous little pup. "Rocky, yes. Cole, no. I haven't seen or talked to the rookie since the Red mission." He laughed at the young dog who had found a pair of Jason's boxers and was parading around the room with them. "Rocky still lives in Angel Grove along with Adam and Tanya."

He nodded, his eyes catching the young pup. "Cole, will you leave my boxers alone?" His answer was a sharp little bark before he went trotting out of the room, the boxers trailing behind him. Shaking his head, Jason met his friend's eyes. "I haven't seen or talked to either Adam or Rocky since the tournament for the orphanage. Figured they didn't know me half as well as Kim and Zack." He didn't finish the sentence, shrugging.

"Jase...they wouldn't judge you like that. Like you said, Rocky is loyal to a fault and he always, I mean always, looked up to you. And Adam...he's one of the most open-minded people I know." He paused momentarily to figure out how to put into words what he wanted to say.

The other man shrugged again. "How can you be sure though?" His eyes met those of his best friend and it was easy to see how much damage had been done by two of their friends, how much mistrust had been placed in the one-time leader.

Tom sighed heavily and shook his head slightly. "Everyone isn't like Zack and Kim-which reminds me, I'm gonna have a discussion with them when I get back home." It royally pissed Tommy off that two people he considered friends had been so hurtful and uncaring to another of their number. "Besides, if Rocky and Adam judged you for being gay...it'd kinda be the pots calling the kettle black," he said, tilting his head with a bit of a grin.

That made Jason arch an eyebrow at his friend. "And why would that be? I mean, I know that Adam's bi, he told me, but Rocky was still pining over Aisha when I was with you guys last."

Tom chuckled. "Well, turns out they're both bi...and together," he said, watching for a reaction from his friend. "They've been together for...wow, it's been nearly three years now."

"Holy shit! You're kidding me?" Rocky's head popped up and he looked down at the other man while his tail beat on the bed. When nothing else happened, he went back to his spot with his head on Jason's stomach and stretched out, taking up the extra space on the bed.

"Nope, I'm serious," he laughed. "At first I kinda thought it was weird, but now I'm used to the idea. They're actually kinda cute together," he said with a warm smile.

For several moments the original Red Ranger was quiet and then he nodded. "You know, thinking how they acted around one another, I can see them as a couple." He sighed. "So that's two more people that probably wouldn't spit on me at first sight."

"Rex, there's lots of people at home who would accept you as you are. Don't let those few close-minded, stupid people keep you away from your hometown." He paused, getting more pissed the more he thought about it. "And...I will gladly punch anyone who gives you shit. Not a problem," he added, eyes narrowed and voice stern.

The man nodded. "We'll see. Right now, I'm not planning on going home for a bit. Our little trip out of here will be..." He stopped and frowned. For several moments he was quiet. "COLE! You better not get in that cabinet!" He looked down at Rocky and pointed towards the door. "Get 'em, Rock."

If the dog could have rolled his eyes, it was obvious that he would have as he stretched before jumping off the bed and trotting down the hall. Moments later a large crash was heard.

Jason sighed. "I'm gonna kill him. Slowly, but surely."

Tommy turned toward the open door. "What the hell?" he said, getting up and helping Jason out of the bed as he seemed intent on going to see what happened.

As they walked, Jason filled his friend in. "Cole is a little magician when it comes to getting doors open. I keep their food in a canister in one of the cabinets. Little shit keeps finding ways to... get... into... it." His words became broken as they arrived at the kitchen. Dog kibble was everywhere and in the middle of the mess lay Cole, eating around himself like this was an everyday thing." He looked over at Tommy. "Now do you see why I named him after the rookie?"

Not able to hold it back, the former Green Ranger burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. "Wow...that's f'n hilarious. But cute..." he said, watching as the older dog turned and looked up at his master with a 'well, he's a puppy-whaddya want me to do?' look.

Chuckling softly, Jason just shook his head. "Rock, I think we've got our work cut out for us, bud." He sighed and looked over at Tom. "Feel like sitting on the back deck? We can let these two run on the beach and get rid of some of their energy before coming back in and taking care of this mess."

"Yeah, that'd be nice, actually," Tom smiled. Wanna take some drinks with us?"

"Sure, there should be some ice tea in the fridge. Oh, and mom sent some of her iced oatmeal cookies the other day. That was what was in the package."

"Cool. I'll get you settled out there and I'll come back in and fix us a snack." They headed toward the French doors that led out to the deck. "Come on, boys...let's get some air," he said to the two yellow labs.

Both of the dogs just sat there and looked at him. Chuckling, the former Gold Ranger let out a soft whistle and they scrambled for the doors. Once there, they both sat down, tails wagging furiously waiting on the two men.

"They know who their daddy is, don't they?" Tom laughed, opening the door to the deck. "I'll bet they're a lotta company." He gave Jason a warm smile and placed a light kiss on the man's full lips.

"They're pretty good." He returned the kiss before grinning. "Although, I'm sure they'll start listening to you... one day."

Tom just looked at his old friend for a moment and then smiled. "Yeah, they'll learn to deal with me just like you did," he replied.

With a gentle push, Jason laughed. "Go get our snacks. I can make it over to a chair and sit down." He looked over at the dogs. "Avant!" Saying the word, he pointed off the deck and both labs took off, running towards the beach.

Eyebrows raised as Tom watched the dogs. "You trained them in French?"

A soft blush crept over the doctor as he nodded. "Just a few commands. It makes it harder for someone else to tell them to do something and they obey."

"Huh...makes sense," he said, turning to go get their drinks. "How much French do you know?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Hmmm, let me think." For a moment Jason was quiet and then he leaned in next to Tommy's ear. "Combien de français est-ce que voulez-vous que je sache, mon ami ?"

The former White Ranger wasn't sure if it was Jason's warm breath in his ear or the sound of his friend's deep, sexy voice speaking in French that made him shiver slightly, but a definite tingle went through him. "Ummm...damn. That could come in handy," he said, his voice cracking just a bit.

Softly, Jason placed a light kiss behind his friend's ear before whispering. "Oui, il pourrait. J'aimerais vous observer trembler sous moi et savoir que j'étais celui responsable de vos réactions. With a slight nip at the bare earlobe, the Original Red Ranger straightened up. "Now, how about those snacks while I get settled out here?"

"Okay...I'll be right back," Tom said with a warm smile. While he was in the kitchen pouring tea and dodging doggie kibble in the floor, Tommy lost himself in thought. _'Okay, that was just too damn hot. I never thought my best friend could turn me on that fast.'_

Keeping an eye on the two dogs as they played in the water and ran on the beach, Jason settled himself in one of the deck chairs facing the ocean. He was starting to really relax around Tom and that was something he hadn't done around anyone in a long time. It was good to not have to keep up the wall that he let the rest of the world see.

"Okay, here we go," the former Ranger Commander said, stepping back out onto the deck with two tall glasses of iced tea and a plate full of Mama Scott's cookies. After setting the tray down on the table, he took a seat next to Jason. "You comfortable enough? Need another cushion?" he asked with a smile.

"No, I'm good and thank you for getting this stuff." He grabbed one of the cookies and bit into it. "So good."

"Hey, what do you expect from your mom? She's world class," Tom said with a warm smile. He looked up and winked. "So's her son."

Blushing, the other man dipped his head. "Yeah well, everyone might not agree with that assessment." He finished off the cookie and took a long drink of tea. After setting the glass back down he rested his head against the back of the chair. "Gotta love it when the sun actually shines around here."

"I think some of the dreary weather that Seattle is famous for has added to your current mindset. It's just weird to hear you care so much about what other people think," Tom replied.

The other man sighed softly. "Tom, I promise to tell you the rest of the stuff that has happened since I left you guys," He looked over at his friend. "But you've got to give me time. I've told you more today than I've told anyone else in the last five years."

"Okay, I believe you-didn't mean to push. I'm just glad to be here talking to you. Honestly, that's the most important thing to me." Tommy leaned over and laid a supportive hand on Jason's knee. "Take your time, bro."

Jason nodded. "Thanks." He covered Tommy's hand with his own and visibly relaxed once more before chuckling softly. "Think Cole managed to piss Rocky off."

Down on the beach, where the surf barely brushed the sand, the older dog had the pup on its back and Rocky was holding Cole there with his paws by using the pup as a footstool.

Tommy looked over to see what exactly was going on with the dogs. "Oh crap," he chuckled. "What did Cole do?"

"With him? There's no telling. That pup has done everything from stealing food off of the table to getting into my bag and making his way to work with me. If he's not in something, then he's asleep." He chuckled softly. "Sometimes I feel sorry for Rocky having to put up with Cole."

"Sounds like most puppies I've known," Tom laughed. "Always into something." He watched the dogs for a few more minutes and then turned back to Jason. "I've often thought about getting a dog-I've got the room for one."

"Really? Well, there are a few places in California that I could recommend if you don't want to go to a shelter." He was quiet for a few moments. "So what about you? Where did you go to school?" He grinned. "And what made you decide on dinosaurs?"

"Well, I started out at the University of Michigan and then went to UC Berkley for grad school." He grinned. "Cold weather and feet of snow for months at a time were great motivators to get out of there. Berkley's where I met Hayley, as a matter of fact." Tom's gaze dropped momentarily as he mentioned the name of his most recent ex. After a few moments, he again met Jason's eyes. "Ummm, as for why dinosaurs...I guess I've always been interested in them. You know me."

"Yeah, I know how you used to be about them when we had the first zords. Think you were almost as bad as Billy at times." He gave his friend a grin. "Thought you were going to race cars a bit. What happened with that?"

Sitting back with his drink, Tommy sighed. "Well, I did try that for a while, but I lost interest after my third wreck. It was just too dangerous for me."

Frowning, the former Gold Ranger looked at the other man. "How bad were the wrecks?" The thought that he could have lost his friend and never known it shook him a bit.

"Well, the first couple weren't all that bad, but that last one..." he paused and shook his head. "It was pretty scary. Ended up in the hospital for a few days with a broken arm and collarbone. After that, I didn't wanna get back in the car."

"Damn, I'm glad you didn't get hurt worse than that. You healed up okay, right? No lasting effects from anything?"

"No, I'm okay. My collarbone is a bit sensitive at times and I've got a few scars, but I'm okay."

"Good, least you won't have to worry about a lot of problems when you get older." Jason grinned. "Although, you will be able to do a bit of weather forecasting, if you can't already."

"I've noticed," Tom chuckled. "When it's cold and rainy outside, it tends to hurt a bit. You got any old injuries like that?"

"Well, I've got a few." He blushed a bit. "Probably the one with the best story is when I broke my arm during my residency in Colorado. It had snowed and I was running a bit late for rounds. So, smart person that I am, I start running down the hall. Hit a slick spot and the next thing I know, the attending is looking down at me explaining why I'm going to be doing record updates for a couple of weeks."

Tom giggled. "Oh man...that had to be embarrassing. You wiped out in the hallway, huh?"

"In the hallway only to slide into a gurney all while taking out a couple of nurses who were just standing there. As for embarrassing? Let's just say that I didn't live it down for a while. Someone else had to do something stupid for it to be forgotten."

"It's just gets better and better," the former White Ranger laughed. "I can so see you doin' that." He thought for a moment. "Any motorcycle accidents? Anything like that?"

"I've had to lay it down a couple of times, but I've only really gotten road rash from it. Neither time was because of anything I did, just more from trying to avoid something worse."

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't anything more serious than that." He paused, trying to think of what to say next. Tommy found it weird that he was having trouble talking to Jason-it had never been a problem before. "So umm, what do you think about Jake's suggestion of a holiday somewhere? We haven't really talked much about it."

For several minutes, Jason didn't say anything, but then he finally nodded. "Well, I guess that's really up to you." He looked over at Tommy. "I mean, do you have anything you need to get back to or anyone expecting you for something?"

Tom glanced down momentarily and sighed. "No...I wish I could say that I'd be missed, but...I'm free to do whatever I want."

Jason looked at him sympathetically for a moment. _'I know that feeling well,'_ he thought. "Then in that case it's probably a good idea, but no place cold-somewhere warm and sunny." He was quiet for a moment. "There's a place in the Caribbean that Matt told me about." He looked over at Tommy again. "Might be worth looking into. Got a passport?" he grinned.

"Yep, sure do. I've been on a few digs in South America. I'm pretty sure it hasn't expired yet."

"We might need them if this is a place we can both agree on. Besides, we've got time to decide—gonna be a little while before either one of us would be allowed to travel."

"Hey, I'm up for some traveling. I haven't really done much of that lately. Where'dja have in mind?"

"Matt told me about this place in St. Croix that was really nice." A grin split his face followed by a slight chuckle. "And it's gay friendly so we wouldn't get any strange looks. We can take a look at it, see if it's something that we're interested in doing. If it is, then we can make the reservations and stuff."

Tommy couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face. Just the thoughts of going somewhere like that with Jason was getting his imagination going. "Sounds amazing. Are you up for it?"

"We've still got over a week before Jake will even consider letting me travel, but after two weeks just sitting around the house, I'll need to get away." Jason shrugged lightly. "Most of the bruising should be gone by then. I just won't be able to do a lot of stuff that might aggravate my ribs."

"I'm sure we can find plenty to do that won't hurt you. Sitting on the beach or walking in the surf is pretty low-impact," Tom grinned.

"I could probably handle some snorkeling, but not actual scuba diving. Although, I'd love to go down and look at the coral they've got over there."

"Ooh yeah, me too. Hey, who knows? We'll see how you feel at the time. But if we're gonna go somewhere tropical I'm gonna need to get some different clothes. I suppose a shopping trip is in order."

"Well, when we go back inside, let's wake my computer up and we'll take a look at this place first. Then in a couple of days, if it's something we want to do, we can go get you some other clothes."

Tommy nodded. "Sounds good. Think you can get the dogs to come in? They seem pretty happy," he said, watching Rocky and Cole playing in the surf.

He grinned. "Oh yeah, I can get them to come in." The former Gold Ranger let out a piercing whistle, which brought both dogs to a halt and had them facing the house. "Viens!"

Rocky gave a sharp bark before starting to run towards the house with the pup hot on his heels.

Shaking his head as Cole tripped over his own feet, Jason looked over at Tommy. "He is definitely named right."

Laughing, Tom watched the two yellow labs running toward their master. "Yep, definitely named right-the eternal rookie."

"You've got it." He reached out a hand and without saying anything lowered it towards the ground as the two dogs came up beside him. Both immediately laid down, tails thumping lightly on the deck as they panted softly. "They're both good dogs though."

"Yeah, I can tell. We do still have a mess in the kitchen floor to clean up, though."

"Forgot about that." He fought down a yawn. "Guess we'll have to clean that up before we can do anything else."

"I'll do it. You go find this place on the computer while I straighten up in there. I don't want you to take a chance on hurting yourself."

"Okay, but you're going to have to help me up." He blushed slightly. "These chairs are a little low to the deck, but they're comfortable."

-o-O-o-

Jason stretched lightly before taking a seat in front of the computer. The short nap that he'd taken had helped a lot, especially after his rather rude awakening earlier by Cole. As the page loaded, he heard footsteps behind him and turned slightly to see Tommy coming towards him. "Thought you were cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, not making another one."

"Oh ha ha," Tommy said with a roll of his eyes. "I can cook just fine, thank you very much. Anyway, this is just sandwiches-it's time we had lunch." He walked over and sat in the chair beside Jason, putting the tray down on the desk.

"If you want, we can order something for dinner. There's a great place towards town that delivers a steak and lobster dinner that's really good." He picked up one of the sandwiches before turning the screen a bit and showing his friend the hotel. "It's in St. Croix, so we don't really need a passport, but it's always a good idea to take them."

Tom looked over the screen and a smile spread across his face. "Aww man, that looks like an awesome place for a get-away. Just look at that blue water," he said, checking out a picture that showed the ocean view from the resort.

"I know and this set of rooms," he clicked on a section that was closest to the ocean, "they all have patios and sitting areas. A couple of them, like the Frigate Suite and the Deluxe Oceanfront rooms overlook a couple of the beaches."

Starting to munch on his sandwich, Tom nodded as Jason explained. "I wonder how the food is there. Bet they have some great restaurants," he smiled.

"They've definitely got a selection of places to choose from and a couple of the packages they have even offer the use of a rental car for the day to explore the island."

"Sounds really good. One question though-how much you think this is gonna cost? I'm just a little high school teacher, ya know," Tommy replied, feeling a bit ashamed of the fact that he didn't have much money put back.

For a moment, Jason was quiet. "Well, with plane tickets and meals, if we stayed a week, it'd probably be around $2500 each."

Tom's eyes opened a bit wider and he cleared his throat. "I don't know if I can swing that, Jase. Ummm...maybe there's somewhere less expensive?" He blushed slightly, wishing it wasn't necessary for him to tell his old friend that.

"They have some cheaper rooms that'd take the price down to about $1800, but if you want we can look at somewhere else."

"I really like the resort-maybe one of the cheaper packages will work. We can look for something else too, if you want. Just for sake of argument."

The former Gold Ranger nodded and pulled up another hotel. It wasn't as nice looking, but it did have decent ocean views. It took a few minutes to find the accommodations page and look at the rates. "If we went here, which is still in the Virgin Islands, we could probably do a week for around $1500." He looked over at his friend. "That's probably the best we're gonna be able to find that includes airfare."

"For the difference, I'd rather stay at the first place," Tommy decided. "That okay with you? I know it's not the room you wanted, but it's still at the same resort."

"That's fine and I'm not really planning on spending every waking moment in the room, you know? I mean, it's the US Virgin Islands." He grinned. "You've gotta get out and explore a little."

The former Green Ranger smiled. "Oh yeah...I know. That beach looks great, too. Is there a picture of the pool or hot tub?"

Going back to the previous page, the Original Red Ranger clicked a few things before pulling up an image of the grotto pool. "This is one of the pools called the grotto pool."

Tommy leaned in closer to the screen, slightly rubbing against Jason. "Oooh, I like, I like!" he said with a chuckle. "We're gonna enjoy that."

Turning his head slightly, the other man grinned. "Yeah, I think we are." They were close enough to kiss, but Jason paused before he leaned in a bit and placed a light kiss on his friend's cheek.

Even though this new aspect of their relationship was still developing, Tommy found himself with a warm feeling inside. He smiled slightly and then returned the kiss-a light one on Jason's full lips. "I can't wait to get away with you-I've missed you so much."

Resting his forehead against Tommy's, Jason sighed. "I know and I'm sorry that I shut you out like I did."

Tom sighed. "I'm sure you had your reasons and we have plenty of time to talk it out and get reacquainted. Agreed?"

He nodded. "Agreed." Pulling back a bit, he blushed slightly. "Know it's been a while, but I hate to tell you man, you stink."

A look of surprise crossed Tommy's face. "No you didn't just say that. And here I was being nice, trying to find a nice way to tell you that you smell like a cow."

Jason chuckled softly. "We should probably get showers before too much longer."

Tommy waved his hand in front of his face. "No kiddin'. Think you can manage it with your ribs like they are? It's gonna be hard to bend and reach."

A soft blush crept over the other man's face. "Not real sure. It's been a while since I've tried to shower with bruised ribs, but that time I hadn't strained the muscle on top of it."

The former White Ranger stretched slightly, wincing at the tightness in his still-healing back. "Know what? I'm gonna have trouble too-my back is still a mess." He paused and then an idea dawned on him. "Ummm...we could help each other out. Shower together, maybe?"

There was silence between them as the physician thought about it. Everything in him screamed 'Yes!', but one small part was still hesitant. This time, however, Jason followed his heart and nodded slowly. "That'd probably be a good idea. We can conserve a bit of water, too." He grinned slightly. "That way no one has to take a cold shower or wait for the water to heat back up."

"Oh yeah...water conservation is soooo important," Tom said with a smile and a wink. "Come on, let's wash the stink off and be civilized again." He stood and gathered the dishes from their lunch and put them on the tray. "Be right back and I'll help unwrap your ribs."

"All right and later on we'll decide what day we want to leave and all that, providing Jake clears me to travel."

When Tommy returned, he found Jason sitting on the bed. "Okay, let me help you with your shirt and then we'll unwrap you, King Tut," he said with a chuckle. Once that was done, he pulled off his own shirt and added it to the growing pile on the floor. "Okay, come on. Let's get you standing." He held out his hands to his friend and helped him to his feet.

Once up, Jason wrinkled his nose. "Let's wash that wrap instead of re-using it. I've got another one in the medicine cabinet." He walked ahead of Tommy into the bathroom and turned the shower on to start warming up.

Tommy pulled out two towels and two washcloths, putting them on the shower door. "Want me to help you with your pants?" He asked with a smile.

Jason quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "Are you suggesting something, Mr. Oliver?"

"It's _Doctor_ Oliver, thank you, and no-not until you've recovered fully. Don't want to break you in half," Tommy said with a smile. "I just thought you might need some help with your sleep pants, that's all."

Shaking his head, the other man untied the string holding the pants in place and let them fall. "See? Nothing to it…_Doc_." He grinned at the look that spread over his friend's face. Unless he was at work, the former Gold Ranger hardly ever wore underwear and this recent injury hadn't made him turn from that routine.

"Ummm...yeah...nothing to it. Although I wouldn't exactly say that," Tom said, trying his best to keep from staring. Jason's body had matured a bit since their teenage days. Although he wasn't in tip-top form, he was still beautifully put-together. Tommy found his mouth watering slightly. "Still very nice, I see."

Chuckling softly, he nodded at his friend. "Well, although it might save water, showering with your clothes on is just gonna make a mess."

Grinning, Tom got the message. He slipped his thumbs under the waistband of his pants and ran them around to the sides. Locking eyes with his friend, he slowly pulled them down until they fell to the floor, pooling around his feet. "Better?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Oh, much." Jason let his eyes roam his friend's body. Since they'd last met, he'd noticed that Tommy had filled out, but to actually see how defined he'd become in the process was breathtaking. Their teenage days had been nothing but a one-sided preview of now and it was definitely worth wait. His doctor's eye caught small scars, some of which he recognized as being acquired through spandex, but they did nothing to detract from the well-toned figure in front of him. "Damn bro, make me feel like the Pillsbury dough boy why don't you."

Tommy chuckled. "You look fine to me. Besides, I haven't had much to do but workout lately. It's my idea of therapy," he said with a sad smile.

The other man was quiet for a moment. "Seems like we both have some demons we need to get rid of." He held the door to the extra-large shower open. "Come on, let's get cleaned up."

Tom just nodded and waited for Jason to get in before following him. He couldn't help but watch his friend's firm, round ass and had the momentary urge to reach out and take hold. Once under the warm water, the former Black Ranger sighed and tried to relax his muscles. "Mmm, that feels good," he said, laying his head back so that the spray drenched his dark hair.

Once again, Jason was thankful that he'd had the bathroom remodeled and updated. The triple shower heads came in handy and today they'd be even more so. "Yeah, it definitely does." He let the spray from the other wall run over his own back. "When we get out, I'll take a look at your back."

"Okay, sounds good. Hand me the body wash and I'll lather you up," he replied, being secretly anxious to get his hands on Jason's naked form.

Handing over the bottle, the Original Red Ranger grinned. "Here ya go and just remember, I know where _your_ ticklish spots are too."

"You don't honestly think I'd tickle an injured man, do ya?" he asked, trying to look surprised.

An eyebrow rose over the midnight eyes as Jason cocked his head to the side. "Do you honestly want me to answer that?"

A look that could only be described as sultry worked its way across Tommy's face. Looking up through his long lashes, he gave Jason a half grin. "There's so many better things I can occupy my hands with than tickling," he said in a low voice. "Now turn around."

A shiver ran through the physician's body as he complied and it had nothing to do with the temperature. He braced his hands lightly on the wall to steady himself. "Okay, I'm all yours."

"Mmm, don't say that unless you mean it," Tommy cooed, squeezing a generous amount of soap into his hands. After putting the bottle aside, he rubbed his hands together and took a second to pick his target. He moved a bit closer and began to rub Jason's upper back from his shoulder blades up and around to his thick biceps. He moved slowly and deliberately, taking his time to feel the muscle tone underneath the smooth skin.

Jason let himself relax and his head dropped slightly to hang between his arms. There was no way that he could hide what his friend's hands were doing to him and for some reason, he doubted that even if he could, it was something that Jason somehow knew his friend would find no shame in. "And if I did mean it?" His own voice had grown slightly husky and the reactions his body was having to Tommy's hands moving over his skin, while not totally unexpected, had caught him a little off guard.

The man behind him didn't have to look to know what was going on with the former Gold Ranger. As a matter of fact, rubbing those broad shoulders and powerful arms was doing the same thing to Tommy. He let his hands move downward until they reached the trim waist and narrow hips. Massaging in big circles, Tom was careful not to press too hard in the area of the ribs. "Need more soap," he whispered, his mouth a bit closer to Jason's ear than the other man realized. "Don't move."

Another shiver went through the former Gold Ranger. "I'm not going anywhere." He sighed. "Not anymore."

Tommy poured more of the nicely-scented body wash into his hands and rubbed them together once more. Starting at Jason's waist again, he slid his hands around to the man's stomach, stepping up to lightly press his body against his friend's. His large hands carefully moved up to Jason's chest, making small circles on the pecs and then sliding down to the trim waist once again. Tom had laid his head against his friend's with his mouth at the man's ear. "Mmm... you feel so good," he cooed.

Straightening up a little, Jason stepped back a bit, bringing their bodies into contact with one another. "It's been so long since I've had anyone touch me and not make me feel like it was wrong."

"There's nothing wrong with this at all. Feels perfectly right to me," Tom said, continuing his exploration. "To tell you the truth, I've dreamt of doing this... lots of times."

"You're not the only one." When Tom's hands drifted over his erect member Jason groaned and his hips thrust forward automatically. "I've dreamt of doing a lot more to you as well."

"As soon as both of us are healed, we'll see about that," Tommy said, placing a soft kiss on Jason's cheek. "My turn?"

Nodding his head, Jason turned around and groaned again as he brushed against Tommy. "If I knew it wouldn't hurt both of us," he met the dark chocolate pools, "I'd show you what we've both been missing."

"I'd like that... but you're right, it'd probably set our recoveries back to where we couldn't go on our trip. Better wait until we can really enjoy ourselves, huh?" Tommy leaned in just a bit and placed a gentle, soft kiss on Jason's waiting lips. "Now put your hands on me...wherever you want."

Pouring some of the body wash into his hands, Jason started washing his friend. He could tell that his hands were shaking slightly as they roamed over the toned body and began to learn its curves and dips. He flattened his hands as he went up the sculpted chest, rubbing over the hardened nipples as he did. "Might not be able to go all the way, but I'm sure we can," he shifted a bit, rubbing their erections together once more, "get up to a bit of mischief without hurting ourselves."

Tommy had laid his head back, enjoying the sensations that were being caused by Jason's large, strong hands. "You think so? I'm all for it as long as it won't hurt you," he said, his voice getting deeper as his desire grew. "I take it you like the merchandise?"

"Seriously bro, what's not to like?" He put some more soap into his hand and then let it drift down his friend's stomach, slowly going lower until he brushed against the silk-covered steel. With a smirk, he stroked it lightly with one finger in a teasing manner. "Hmmm, what's this?"

A small groan escaped Tommy before he could stop it. "Mmmmmh... that's your proof positive that the feelings are mutual."

Leaning in, Jason nipped at an earlobe while slowly encircling his best friend's hardened shaft. "And what exactly should we do with this?" He began to stroke slowly up and down, rubbing across the head when he would approach the top.

"So far I think you're doin' just fine," Tommy whispered, his eyes fluttering closed as he slipped a hand around the back of Jason's neck. "Damn, that feels good."

Grinning slightly, the former Gold Ranger took hold of Tom's other hand. "Together, until we can actually be together." He moved the other man's hand down until it rested on Jason's cock.

Taking the hint that had been dropped with a sledgehammer, Tom began to gently stroke his friend, nearly mirroring what Jason was doing to him. He had seen the Original Red Ranger naked many times, but had never had the opportunity to touch him like this. As his hand moved, he took note of how thick his best friend's hardened member actually was. "I knew you were blessed, but... damn, Jase."

A soft laugh was cut short by a groan of pleasure. Panting slightly, Jason tightened his grip on his friend just slightly as he continued to stroke. "Well, you're not a slouch either, Falcon."

"Well then, we shouldn't have any problem wearing each other out." He opened his eyes for a moment and found Jason's slightly parted, willing lips. Pressing his own full lips to his friend's, he gave him the most passionate kiss that they'd shared so far.

Sighing into his friend's mouth, Jason stepped closer and after applying more soap to his hand, altered his grip so that he was holding both of their hardened shafts in his hand. The extra friction created by that action made him groan again. "So good, Tom."

With his other hand now free, Tommy used it to draw Jason even closer. The shift in position brought their erections together more fully and he shivered at the sensations that shot through him. He'd been with another man and a few women, but none of them had affected him like this. He looked into Jason's eyes, dilated with pleasure and swallowed. There was no way that he was leaving his friend again, not if he could help it. "I can't wait to claim this as my own." The same hand that he had used to bring them closer slid down the Original Red Ranger's back. When he reached the curve of Jason's ass, he paused for a moment and then put more soap on his fingers. Returning his hand to that shapely ass, he slid between the twin globes and gently teased the puckered opening that lay between them.

When the former Falcon teased him like that, Jason's hips had snapped forward. The actions combined to make him speed up his strokes. He knew that it wouldn't take long for him because, although his reputation was for something different, it had been over a year since Jason had really been with someone. His breath started to come in short pants and he groaned. "So close, Tom... feels so good like this."

Removing his hand from behind his friend, Tommy brought it around and closed it around Jason's as the man worked them both. His other hand moved to gently bend the physician's head slightly down. "Look at us, bro. So close... like we're almost one." He used a stray finger to brush over the tip of Jason's cock. "And soon, we'll be joined even closer... I promise." His words had been low and sultry. He touched his forehead to Jason's and kissed him softly. "Come for me, Jason."

It was the words coupled with the emotion that he could hear in his best friend's voice that finally sent him over the edge. "God... Tommy!" He kept up his strokes and only a few seconds later he could feel his friend join him in release. He slowly decreased the speed of his strokes until they were both drained and then stood there breathing hard. "I'm going to hold you to that promise."

Tommy only managed a nod, but once he'd caught his breath, he pressed a forceful kiss onto Jason's mouth, demanding and gaining entry into the warm cavern. He moaned deeply as he explored his friend's mouth, coaxing his tongue's partner to come out and play.

Moving his hands to rest on Tommy's buttocks, the physician let the other man lead. He was content to go along and when they finally had to break for air, he gazed into the chocolate eyes. "What brought that on?"

Panting slightly, Tommy gazed back into Jason's nearly black eyes. "I guess I've always wanted to kiss you like that- I finally got my chance," he said with a sly grin.

He chuckled softly. "I can understand that." Jason sighed. "We should finish washing up before we run out of hot water. I don't think either one of us would benefit from a cold shower after this."

"No, definitely not," Tom replied with a smile. He helped Jason wash his hair and finished washing his body since it was difficult for the Original Red Ranger to bend with his ribs like they were. The former Green Ranger was able to wash himself except for his back, so they finished up and carefully got out, wrapping themselves in big, thick towels. "How're your ribs feeling? Our little bit of fun didn't hurt you, did it?" Tom hoped that the sincerity showed in his eyes.

"No, I'm fine." He grinned. "A little tired, but not enough that I feel like I need to take another nap." Stepping closer to the other man, he put a hand on the back of Tom's neck. "I'm okay and something tells me that we both needed that."

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, I think so too." A broad smile swept across his handsome face. "I really enjoyed that. Best shower I've had in a long, long time." He slipped his arms around Jason's body and pulled him into a careful hug, nuzzling the man's neck. "I'm so glad you didn't push me away."

Closing his eyes, the doctor rested his head on Tommy's shoulder. "Somehow, I don't think I could have lived with myself much longer if I had."

As he was gently caressing Jason's back, Tommy sighed. "You want to lay down for a bit or sit on the deck or what?" He knew that pushing his friend to explain himself was not the best course of action right now-he didn't want to ruin the mood. "You need to rest."

"How about sitting on the deck again? The dogs both need the exercise and I stay inside enough as it is."

"Okay, that sounds good. Let's get your ribs rewrapped and we'll go back out there. I wanna watch Rocky school Cole a bit more anyway," he laughed.

-o-O-o-

Jake chuckled softly as he watched his two patients squirm where they sat. "I swear if I didn't know any better I'd think you two were nervous about something."

"Nervous? I don't know if I'd say nervous," Tommy replied, shifting again and looking over at Jason.

The other man snorted. "Speak for yourself there, bro."

Chuckling, the man held the door open for them. "Come on back you two so we can get you out of here."

The two former Rangers got up and moved toward the doctor, Jason getting around much better than he had previously. "You've healed a lot-don't be so worried," Tom said, laying a hand on Jason's back.

"Yeah well, I might be a doctor, but that still doesn't mean I like seeing one."

Entering the exam room, Jake nodded towards the table. "You first Tommy, then we'll deal with the big man."

"Okay," Tom said, taking a seat on the table. "Let's get this over with."

Shaking his head, the doctor laughed softly. "You have no patience, just like Jason over there." He nodded at the man. "Go ahead and take your shirt off, let's see how your back has healed."

"Alright." He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders, letting it drop onto the table. "Jason said it looks much better and shouldn't scar much. What do you think?"

"I'd say that he knows what he's talking about, which is what makes him such a good doctor." He pressed on a few areas where the cuts had been the deepest. "And that he does good work with his stitches." Removing his gloves, he stepped back around to face the man. "It looks good. The last of the scabbing should go away in a few days and there doesn't appear to be any separation of the tissue beneath the areas that received stitches. All-in-all, I'm willing to release you to go back to your normal routine."

Tommy flashed the doctor a nice smile. "Thanks, that's what I wanted to hear!" He turned to his old friend. "Let's go, Rex... your turn."

Jason rolled his eyes and got up slowly. "Alright, move your ass and let me up there," he said with a wink to Tommy.

Chuckling softly, Tommy got up, taking his shirt with him so that he could put it back on.

Once he was seated, Jake washed his hands and dried them before putting on a clean pair of gloves. "Can you get your shirt off by yourself?"

"Yeah, just takes me a minute," he answered, beginning to unbutton his shirt so that the doctor could assess his condition. "So you still think us taking a little holiday would be a good idea?"

"I really do, Jason." He was quiet for a moment as he studied his patient's movements. "Except for a few days off here and there, the times you've gotten hurt at work, and now this, you've barely been away from the hospital since you started working there. You've got the time on the books, and even if I clear you for travel today, you're still not going to be going back to work for at least another month."

"Yeah, yeah...okay," Jason mumbled. "So how do the ribs seem to you? They're still sore, but not nearly as painful as they were."

Jake started pressing lightly in the areas he knew had been damaged the worst. "Let me know if anything causes you pain." He started off gentle, but as he didn't feel any give at first, Jake pressed a little harder in some areas.

A couple of times Jason winced, but overall he was okay. "I think everything's healing pretty well. I've kept them wrapped and Tommy's been helping me."

"Uh huh, we'll see about that." He nodded at the man. "Stand up and hold your arms up above your head." He knew that if the muscle over the ribs was still healing that doing so would be almost impossible for the other man.

Dr. Scott moved himself to the edge of the table and slowly stood up. Giving Jake a look, he moved his arms up slowly, stretching up as far as he could. Even though he winced and it was obvious that the movement hurt, he managed to do better than Jake thought he would.

"All right, I'll give you points for being able to do it, but I'm not clearing you for a normal routine yet." He walked over to him. "Keep your hands up and I'll give you something once I'm done if you need it." Pressing carefully, Jake moved his hands around the area and felt the tender muscle. When he was done, the doctor stepped back again. "The separation is healing nicely, so I'll let you do a light routine, but no lifting just yet." He handed him back his shirt. "You can start running again, but no more than two miles for now and I mean that Jason. If you go against me on this one, I'll get Brackett to suspend your privileges for another month."

"Alright, alright Dr. Hard Ass. I'll be good, I promise. Tommy and I are planning to get outta town for a week or so and I won't overdo it. Happy now?"

"I might be a hard ass Jason, but it's just because I worry about you. You're an excellent doctor, but your behavior outside of work sometimes worries me." He stepped back, giving the man some room. "As for going out of town, I think it'll be good for you. Just no diving. If you want to swim, just be careful with your strokes and you can snorkel, but no depth until that muscle finishes healing."

"Okay, I can handle that. Besides, Tommy's somewhat of a mother hen himself, so I'm sure he's not going to let me do anything I shouldn't." Jason looked over at Tommy and quickly gave him a wink and a grin.

Shaking his head, Jake walked over and got rid of his gloves before washing his hands again. "Well, I'd say whatever he's been doing has been good for you. You're definitely more relaxed than the last time that I saw you." He looked over at Tommy. "I'm guessing we have to thank you for that."

Tommy shrugged a bit and smiled. "I'm trying my best. We've been getting reacquainted," he said, unable to hide a smile.

"Well, just be careful getting 'reacquainted'." He grinned. "Okay, except for what I told you about your ribs and limits Jason, you're clean." He looked over at Tommy as he said it, hoping the man caught his other meaning. "Now get out of here, you two."

"Cool, now we can plan our trip, huh Rex?" Tommy said with a smile, standing and walking over to help Jason with his shirt.

"Yeah, which means we can get out of town for a bit and actually have some fun." He nodded at Jake, catching the man's eye. It hadn't been lost on Jason what the man had said or why he'd said it. In truth, it relieved a few of the worries he'd had since being reunited with Tommy. The doctor's words had confirmed that his last brush with true trouble had left him unscathed. Slowly, he relaxed a bit more. It had been five years and if something hadn't shown up by now, the chances that it ever would were incredibly slim. Giving Tommy a grin, he nodded towards the door. "Come on, let's grab something to eat before we go back to the house."

"Okay, sounds good to me. Let's go," Tom replied, heading out with his best friend. He had noticed a few shared looks between Jake and Jason, but thought he'd wait until they got to the car before he asked. "So, that's great news! Now we can go make some reservations."

"Oh yeah, sunshine and warm weather here we come." They left the doctor's office and started towards his SUV. "How about some surf and turf? There's a great place about fifteen minutes from here."

"Works for me, I haven't had a really good steak in a while," Tommy said, unable to shake the feeling that a page had been turned. Once they were on their way, he turned to his friend. "Jase, can I ask you something?"

The question set off silent warning bells in the other man, but Jason had made a promise to himself to be truthful with his best friend. "You can ask, but if it's something I feel I can't answer right now, I promise I'll tell you later?" He glanced over at his friend. "Deal?"

Truth be told, it bothered Tommy that Jason was still keeping things from him, but he knew he had to take what he could get. "Deal. It's just that I saw you and Jake exchanging a couple of looks and you seemed to get more out of what he said than I did. Was it just doctor talk or am I slow?"

For several minutes, the former Gold Ranger said nothing and then he turned off the main road onto a dirt road. He stopped when they came to a parking area that overlooked the ocean and turned off the car. Nodding towards the door, he climbed out and walked around to stand in front of the vehicle and waited for Tom to join him. "You're not slow. I did get a lot more out of it than what he said." He was quiet for several moments. "A little over five years ago, shortly after I got here to Seattle, I went out one night. It was a place similar to The Highliner and managed to meet someone. That night, we didn't do anything, but I saw him a few times after that."

Jason paused, his gaze fixed on the horizon, but it was clear from the expression on his face that he wasn't seeing anything that was happening now. "We'd been seeing each other a month before I actually slept with him and it took some doing to convince him to use some protection, but he did." The physician paused and took a shuddering breath before releasing it slowly. "And after we had sex that first time, he got rough. He tried to tie me up, but I refused. After a few minutes, he seemed to calm down and we started to have sex again." He had to pause again to gather himself. "He... he put his hands on my shoulders and they slowly moved closer to my throat. There was nothing I could do as he started choking me because of how he was pinning me down. I woke up sore and bleeding a bit."

Tommy stood close by, listening carefully to what his friend was saying. He could tell that the memory was very painful for Jason, so he placed a supportive hand on the man's shoulder. "He hurt you-that's just wrong. Did he abuse you any further?" he asked gently.

He shrugged. "I wasn't sure, but I had to go to a hospital and get treated. Jake was working that night and he..." He sucked in another shuddering breath and lost the battle as tears started to fall. "Since I couldn't tell him what all had happened after I passed out, he did a rape kit. The results were inconclusive because the samples were a mixture of him and me. Every 6 months, for the past 5 years, Jake's run a blood test on me as a precaution." He started crying softly. "I haven't even been able to sleep with anyone else because of what that asshole did. It's why Ichi and I didn't work out, because no matter how much I wanted to, that last little bit of trust I kept." He met Tommy's eyes. "Since that night, it's only been a quick hand job or an occasional blow job because I can't give that last little bit of trust away."

Seeing how badly his best friend needed comfort, Tommy gently wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled the man into him. "Bro...I'm so sorry that happened to you. You're such a great guy and you don't deserve to be treated like that. Did you press charges?"

Jason rested his head on his friend's shoulders and let the tears fall. "They caught him, but it was his word against mine. He said that I asked him to choke me out and that he'd tried to tell me that whatever it is he used on me was too big and that's why things had torn inside." He started crying harder. "But I didn't. I swear to you I didn't, Tom. I just wanted to be with someone so bad and he made me forget what I thought I couldn't have..." Anything else he said was lost as emotions from that time overwhelmed him and the big man sank to his knees, dragging Tommy down with him.

The former White Ranger hung on tightly to his old friend, rocking him slightly and rubbing his hair and back. "I believe you, bro. It's over now...you've gotta try to let it go." He went quiet for several moments while he tried to comfort the man. "Jase, if you're worried about this pushing me away...don't be. I'm not going anywhere."

"You say that now, but what if I can't let you either." He sat back until he could look into Tommy's eyes. "I want to share everything with you, but what if what he did doesn't let me? Will you still want me then?" He lowered his eyes, unable to meet the warm, chocolate pools that glistened with tears. "No one else has."

"We'll deal with it, Jase. You mean way too much to me to give up on you like that." Tom wiped at a tear that was rolling down his cheek. "We've been through so much together already-saved each other countless times-we'll figure it out, I promise."

The Original Red Ranger seemed to sag a little with those words and once again rested his head on his friend's shoulder, holding on tightly to him.

The two men stayed like that for several minutes with Tommy trying his best to comfort his friend. "Come on, Jase-let's get something to eat and go back to the house so you can rest up," he finally said. "We don't have to eat out if you're not feeling like it. We can order take-out."

The brown head nodded as he sat back a bit and wiped his eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys and handed them to his friend. "You should probably drive and if we call in our orders ahead of time, they'll bring it out to the car."

Taking the keys, Tommy nodded and helped Jason to his feet. "Okay, sounds good. We'll call from your cell-just give me directions to the place." They got in the car and placed their orders before they left the parking spot. "How long does it take to get there?"

"From here, about fifteen minutes. It's before you hit the major part of the city, so they don't get a lot of business this time of day.

"Okay, they said it'd take about thirty minutes for our order to be ready. Wanna drive around a bit? You can show me some sites," Tom suggested, trying to get Jason's mind off of himself.

"Actually, if you want, we can get a really good cup of coffee." He grinned a bit. "Or a really excellent double chocolate hot cocoa."

Tommy's eyes brightened a bit. "Oooh, they both sound good, but I'm gonna go for the hot cocoa. You know what a chocoholic I am," he responded with a grin. "Where to?"

"Yeah I know, and that's why I added the two 'Blackjack Specials' to our order." He pointed down the road. "It's a red building on the left, you can't miss it and they have a drive-thru."

"Okay, but help me spot it. When people say 'you can't miss it' I usually do," Tom said with a chuckle. "So is it part of a chain or an independent coffee shop?"

"No, it's an independent place. I usually stop in on my way to work. They've got really good bagel sandwiches and stuff like that." He grinned as they came up to the intersection and the red building came into sight. "See it now?"

"Oh yeah, okay," Tom replied, spotting the brightly painted shop. "Wanna go in and see your friends or just run through the drive-thru?"

"We can go inside. It's easier that way."

Once they'd parked, Jason got out, stretching lightly. "Hopefully Clara's here. She always adds a bit of fresh ground cinammon to it."

"Gonna introduce me?" Tom asked with a grin, following close behind Jason.

"I can, but she's taken and I don't think Gus would be very happy if you hit on his woman." Entering the establishment, Jason inhaled deeply as he started towards the counter. He hadn't gotten very far when he heard his favorite barista's voice.

"Well, well... if it isn't the good Dr. Scott. About time you showed your face around here again." Stepping around the counter, the older woman wrapped her arms around the young man. "I was starting to get worried about you, baby."

Blushing a bit, Jason returned the hug on the woman that barely came to the middle of his chest. "I'm okay, Clara. I helped a friend out of a bad situation and we both ended up a little worse for wear."

She stepped back and looked around Jason at the young man standing behind him. "It's about time you brought someone around here." Walking up to the other man, she stood in front of him for a few moments. "You'll do."

Tommy laughed and looked over at Jason who just shrugged. "Well thank you, ma'am...I think." He offered his hand. "Dr. Tommy Oliver, nice to meet you. I hear wonderful things about your double chocolate hot cocoa."

Shaking her head, Clara pushed his hand aside and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm Clara Winters and it's nice to meet you." Stepping back, she grinned at him. "I'll get you both one right now." Turning, she saw Jason starting to remove his wallet and slapped his hand. "What did I tell you about that?"

Blushing, the physician nodded. "I know, but I was going to leave you a tip, not pay for anything."

Huffing slightly, she shook her head and walked back behind the counter once again. "You had better be glad that Gus is getting the smoker ready to do his turkeys for tomorrow or he'd give you an earful... again."

Grinning at the psuedo-argument that Jason was losing, Tom looked around the modest, but cozy little shop. _'They've probably been running this place for years. Look at these old pictures on the wall.'_ He wandered around a bit more, seeing Jason talking with Clara. _'Wish I didn't think about Hayley every time I stepped into a coffee shop, though,'_ he thought with a frown and let out a sigh.

Clara watched the newcomer as she worked and then looked over at Jason. "He's cute, if you like that type."

Shaking his head, Jason couldn't help but grin. The woman reminded him so much of his mom and coming in to visit her had helped ease the ache of not seeing his own parents at times. "He does have his good qualities."

"I see that," Clara said. "Nice, tight, round qualities." She tore her eyes from Tommy's backside and gave Jason a wink.

Blushing, the doctor nodded. "Yes ma'am, that they are." He deposited a $10 into the tip jar before she handed him their drinks. "Thank you Clara and tell Gus we'll be by to pick up that turkey tomorrow around 4. The other four are going to the women's shelter if you want to just drop them off."

She nodded. "We'll make sure to have them over there before dinner. Matthew has already been by to make sure that the potatoes and soup will be ready for them as well."

"Good, I know that donations were off a bit this month and the shelter's currently full." He gave her a grin and walked over to Tommy. "Here ya go."

"Oh thanks," Tom said, taking the cup and smiling at Clara. He took a careful sip and a big smile spread across his face. "Mmmmm, that's amazing. My compliments to you, ma'am," he said, winking at the barista. "Ready to go get our food and get home?"

She laughed softly and held out a small box. "Jason, this is for you boys to share."

Taking the box, he gave her a soft smile and leaned carefully over the bar to give her a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Clara. Take care now." With the box in hand, he turned back to Tommy. "Yeah, let's go."

"Okay, what was all that talk about food in there? Sounds like you and she have 'cooked' up something, if you'll pardon the pun."

Getting into the car, Jason fastened his seatbelt before answering. "The local women's shelter operates on donations and small grants from the city and state. Right now, it's full and their funds are low. Since we have to volunteer there and at the clinic twenty hours a month at each place, a group of us got together and bought enough food for a dinner for them. I got the turkeys, which Gus is going to smoke plus one for myself, Matt bought the sweet potatoes, regular mashed potatoes, and a few pies. Whatever they have left will be used in soup or for lunch the next day."

"Oh, okay. Sounds like a really good cause-just like something you'd be involved with," Tommy smiled. "Clara's a bit of a trip, isn't she?"

"It's a really good cause and a lot of the women have children with them. As for Clara," he opened the box and showed Tommy the chocolate chocolate swirled cheesecake inside. "she might be a trip, but she's got a heart of gold. Kind of adopted Matt and I after about six months of constantly coming in for coffee, hot chocolate, or breakfast before work and sometimes afterwards."

"I'm really glad you've got some good friends up here," he replied with a smile. "So where is this restaurant? I have no idea where I'm going."

The former Gold Ranger nodded. "They're okay, but they don't know everything about my past." He pointed across the road. "The blue and gray building across the street. Just pull into the parking lot and blow the horn twice."

"Okay," Tom said and did as he was instructed. While they were waiting, he looked at his old friend. "Ya know, there's some really good parts of your past too. You act like everything is bad-like you've never had any good times in your life. I know different-high school was pretty awesome, remember?"

The brown head nodded. "I remember, but I wasn't talking about the normal stuff, Tom. They know about my time in high school and the Peace Conference. I've even talked in a roundabout way of some of you guys. The part I was referring to happens to be a big part of my teen years: being a Ranger."

"Well yeah, you can't really go around talking about that. Another reason to stay close to me and some of the other guys-so you'll have somebody to talk to about that time in our lives. I'm hoping my most recent 'tour of duty' was my last. Hate to say it, but I'm not as young as I used to be," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, I got some news about all of that, but not a lot." He was silent as their order was delivered and paid for. Once they were on their way again, the Original Red Ranger continued. "How did it feel to be the veteran among a group of newbies?"

"Weird. It was cool to be able to train and help them to a certain extent, but it was still weird. We didn't have a Zordon to direct us-I just had to pretty much wing it."

"If I remember right, 'winging it' was a favorite tactic of yours." He grinned at his friend.

Tommy had to laugh. "Well, it works for me. What can I say?" He paused and then added, "If you want, I'll be glad to fill you in concerning my latest team. One more color to add to the list," he grinned.

"Sure, it'd be good to hear about some of the newest to join our ranks." He sat back a bit. "What was your Red like?"

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he gave Jason a 'you don't wanna know' look. "Jase...I can't tell you how many times I wished that you'd been there to straighten him out. Connor was a thick-headed jock who really wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He got a little better as time went on, but still..."

The doctor chuckled softly. "That bad, huh? What about the rest of them? No evil Rangers this time, I hope."

"Oh yeah, had one of them too. Our White started out evil, but turned into the best of the bunch. Had a computer geek Blue, Ethan, and a musician Yellow, that's Kira. Poor girl, she was outnumbered."

"And you were the Black." Jason stated, shaking his head. "I got that much from the news clips that I was able to find."

"Yeah, I was. Black suits me pretty well," Tom replied with a laugh. "Being able to go invisible at will was pretty cool too. That is, until I got stuck like that."

"You're kidding? How the hell did you get stuck in an invisible form?" he frowned. "And why does hearing that something like that even happened, much less to you, not shock me?"

"Probably because you know me that well," Tommy said. He proceeded to tell Jason the story about being trapped in amber by Trent and then released, only to be stuck in his invisible form. He really didn't want to tell him about his trip to the hospital, but didn't know if he could manage to hide anything from Jason.

For several minutes the physician said nothing, wondering if his friend was going to continue. When Tommy didn't, he sighed softly. "So what kind of damage did it do getting you back to a solid form?"

"Umm well, it took a while for Hayley to figure out what to try. Finally, I forced her to use my dino gem to try to make me visible again. It worked, but..." he hedged again, not wanting to worry his friend. "...there were complications."

"What kind of complications? Come on Tom, I've done some talking today and now it's your turn."

Tommy turned to see the concerned look on his best friend's face and he knew it was only fair to fill him in. "Well, I ended up in the hospital-it put me into a deep coma for a couple of days."

For several minutes, Jason was silent was he watched the scenery go by as they neared his house. There was so much that he wanted to say, but at the same time, he'd kept things and hidden from his friends for years. There was no way that he could criticize his best friend for not telling him about something when Tommy had no idea where he'd been at the time to tell him anything. Finally, he nodded his head. "There weren't any lasting side effects, right?" He couldn't keep the worry out of his voice, but his words were soft as he spoke.

"No, not that I'm aware of, anyway. You wanna know the strangest part? While I was in the coma, I had to fight Green, White, and Red Zeo to prove that my will to live was strong enough. That was pretty wild."

"Well, I'm glad that you're okay." As they pulled into the drive, Jason hit the button for the garage door and let Tommy drive in. Once inside, he hit the button again before unbuckling and climbing out. Cole and Rocky waited for them at the bottom of the steps, tails wagging expectantly. "Hey guys." Grinning, he carried the cheesecake Carla had given him while Tommy carried their food. He looked over at his friend. "Want to eat outside? That way these guys can run a little bit more before we head inside for the night."

"Yeah, sure. I'm beginning to wish I had a deck like that overlooking the beach," Tommy replied with a smile. "You take the food out and I'll bring some drinks and silverware."

"I can do that." He set the cheesecake in the fridge and grabbed the takeout bag. Going to the door, he whistled for the dogs and once on the deck, the sent them off down to the beach once more to run and play. With a grin, he walked over to the table and took a seat before starting to set out the items they'd ordered.

Back in the kitchen, Tom set about fixing two glasses of tea and gathering some silverware and extra napkins for them. As he worked, he looked through the windows at Jason setting the food out on the table. _'I could get used to this,' _he thought. Over the last few days, he'd been seriously thinking about what a relationship with Jason would mean. He definitely liked the idea.

After he was done setting the food out, Jason settled in the chair and sighed softly. He didn't know if he'd be able to go back to living alone when, or if, Tommy left. At the moment, he was really hoping the other man would stay, but wasn't sure what kind of commitments the teacher really had back in Reefside. He sighed softly. Depending on how their trip went, it might be something they had to sit down and talk about at length.

"Okay, here we go," Tom said, coming through the door with the drinks. "How does the food look?" he asked, setting Jason's tea down and giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

The Original Red Ranger gave him a grin. "It looks great." He opened up one of the boxes, revealing the steak and grilled rock lobster tails that rested inside complete with a loaded baked potato and fresh asparagus. There were side salads for both of them as well as a cup of seafood stew. "The beef is locally grown and the seafood is all fresh caught."

"Mmm, this looks amazing," Tom said, his eyes lighting up. "You've got some really good restaurants around here, bro." They both started in on their food, thoroughly enjoying the take-out feast. Finally, the former Green Ranger brought up the subject of the trip. "So, now that we're both cleared to travel, we need to make some concrete plans, right?"

"That we do." Taking a long, slow drink of his tea, Jason turned his midnight eyes on his friend. "First, you're going to explain to me why exactly you had to fight three of your past selves in order to return to us." He held up a hand. "Because unless I'm not understanding something, if you'd have failed, then you would have died." He swallowed hard. "And I might not have ever known about it."

Tommy dropped his gaze momentarily and sighed, trying to figure out how to explain the bizarre incident to his best friend. "Well, I really can't tell you why it happened, but you're right-if I hadn't managed to put up a good fight, I would've died. I truly believe that."

Jason was silent for several minutes as he continued to eat. "I'm glad it turned out okay, but I have to tell you, knowing that you could have died without me being aware of what happened really scares me."

"And I really wish I could've talked to you about it before now. I promise you, if I'd known how to get in touch with you then, you would've known about it." He paused and took a drink. "But you know, I'm beginning to understand why you broke off contact with your old friends. I'm just glad we finally reconnected."

"I'm not proud that I shut everyone out, but it was how I dealt with everything. Mom was okay with me being gay and dad came around as well." He looked over at his best friend. "I thought, if they could accept me, then no one else would really have a problem with it. Then Kim and Zach happened." He took another drink. "After that, I wondered if the only reason mom and dad accepted me is because I'm their only son." He blushed a bit. "And so I ran. I'm not happy about it or about the fact that I've missed out on so much when it comes to you and maybe Adam and Rocky."

"You know, there are others besides me, Adam, and Rocky that care about you. You still have lots of friends at home, I'm sure. As for your parents, they're some of the finest people I've ever known. I think they would love you no matter what."

For several moments, Jason said nothing as he worked slowly on his food. After taking a drink, he raised his midnight eyes to meet Tommy's. "Why do I get the feeling that you've got something in mind besides this little trip to the Virgin Islands?"

Tommy gave him his most innocent look. "Who me?" He picked up his glass and took a drink to hide the smile on his face.

"Because even though we might not have seen each other in a while, I still know when you're up to something, so spill Rainbow Brite."

That nickname got a mock scowl from Tommy, but it quickly turned to a chuckle. "Okay, okay...I thought that since we have to go by my place in Reefside for me to pick up my passport and other things that we might as well drop by Angel Grove for a day or so. At least we can visit your parents, if nothing else, but I know Adam and Rocky would love to see you."

The former Gold Ranger sighed softly and sat back a bit. "I kind of figured you were gonna say something like that." He was quiet for a moment before nodding. "It'll be good to see Mom and Dad." Again the doctor was quiet while taking another drink. It wasn't hard to see that the glass was shaking slightly. "As for Adam and Rocky, I guess I'm going to have to trust you."

Tommy reached over and placed a warm hand over Jason's. "Bro, I told you...those two are great friends and they've repeatedly asked me about you. I think it'll be good for you to see that some of your old friends are accepting of you."

The brown head nodded. "I know, but you know them better than I do. From what I remember of them, I believe you're right up here," he tapped his head, "but in here…" his free hand rested over his heart "…the feelings aren't the same."

"Well then, I guess you'll have to trust me. But we can at least go see Mama and Papa Scott," Tom said with a smile.

Jason snorted. "If we even got close to Angel Grove and didn't stop in to see them, Mom would have both of our asses six different ways from Sunday."

"Oh yeah, I believe that! Never mess with an Italian mother!" Tommy grinned. "So, are you good with it? Can we plan on a couple of extra days to swing through Reefside and Angel Grove?"

There was silence once again while Jason looked out towards the ocean and watched the two dogs play in the surf. His eyes watched them before falling to the waves and watching how they rolled onto the shore before drawing back out to sea. Finally, he met the warm, chocolate eyes of his best friend once more. "Yeah, I'm good with it." He sighed softly before giving the other man a weak smile. "Guess it's time I stopped running and made some peace with my past."


	4. Reconciliation and Revenge

**The Highliner**

**By**

**A Warrior's Prophet**

**Disclaimers**: See Chapter 1.

**Authors' Notes**: We got on such a roll with the last chapter that we decided to go ahead and get this one out! Hope you enjoy and please leave us a little review! Also, please check out the Power Rangers Fanfiction Writers Forum on Facebook! Brand new group started by a couple of friends of ours. Great place to talk about PR fanfics and get some 'advertising' for your stories! And we'll be glad to chat with you!

**Chapter 4**—**Reconciliation and Revenge**

As they got closer to Angel Grove, Jason got quiet. He turned his attention to the window and stared out at the passing scenery. The Dodge Charger was lower than what he was used to, but it handled like a dream. Today he'd let Tom drive because he knew the closer they got to his childhood home, the more nervous he'd get. His leg started bouncing absently as his friend guided them smoothly down the exit ramp for Angel Grove.

Tom looked over at his friend a few times, noticing the building tension in his friend. "Well, here we are," he said as the 'Welcome to Angel Grove' sign came into view. "You okay, bro?"

"Honestly? I'm nervous as hell." He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "What are they going to say? I mean, it's been over 5 years since I've seen them."

"They'll say they've really missed you and wish you had come home more often. They love you, Jase...and so do I," Tommy said, reaching over to lay a supportive hand on his friend's thigh.

The doctor sighed softly and tried to force himself to relax. He let one hand come down to rest over his best friend's. "I love you, and them, too." He grinned slightly. "But I still get the feeling that Mom's gonna rip me a new one."

"Maybe later on she will, but I think she'll be able to tell how nervous you are. Your mom's a great person-she won't do anything but welcome you home and you know it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." After giving the hand beneath his a squeeze, he turned his attention once again to the passing scenery. "It's changed a bit, but I still recognize the place."

"Oh yeah, it never changes too much. Look, there's the park. Remember all the good times we had there?" He thought about that for a second. "Well, we had some weird times there too. Seemed like we got attacked in the park an awful lot."

The Original Red Ranger snorted. "It's a wonder they didn't set curfews for people as many times as that place got attacked. The Youth Center wasn't exactly a safe haven. He shot Tommy a grin. "I do remember some of Rocky's pranks, plus Bulk and Skull could never leave a cake alone. Then there were the girls that just stared at you while you were trying to work out or even just study."

"Yeah well, there were plenty of girls watching you too, Rex," he grinned. Tommy turned into a neighborhood that Jason knew very well. "There's Billy's old house," he said, pointing out the driver's window. He knew that they were getting extremely close to the Scotts' home and he could feel his friend tensing up.

Jason snorted. "That was a general 'you', Falcon." He arched an eyebrow at his friend. "Get hit one too many times by Goldar?" Chuckling softly, he turned as Tommy pointed out Billy's house. He'd spent a lot of time at the genuis' house before Tommy joined them. A soft smile graced his face. They'd all required some tutoring at one time or another and until they got powers, Billy felt most at ease providing extra instruction in his garage. Afterwards, the Youth Center became their central hangout.

As they turned onto his street, Jason's throat went dry and he tensed once again. If he'd been driving, they would have been heading away by now. Part of him knew that he needed to do this, but at the same time he was worried about his parents' reaction.

"Deep breaths, bro...it's gonna be just fine, I promise," Tom said, trying to calm his friend. "I'm right here with you, okay?" Moments after he finished speaking, he turned into the Scotts' driveway.

Jason didn't even register the car turning off as he stared at his childhood home. _'How could I have stayed away so long? What have I put them through all this time?'_ He could feel his eyes misting up as he tried repeatedly to open the car door with a shaking hand.

"You ready to do this?" Tommy asked in a quiet, calm voice. "We can sit here for a few minutes if you need to," he said, rubbing the man's leg.

Shaking his head, the former Gold Ranger took a deep breath. "No, if we sit here too long, they'll come out to find out who it is and I'd rather not break down in the driveway." He looked over at Tommy. "Let's go."

"Alright and remember...I'm right here," he said as he opened the driver's side door and got out. Rounding the front of the car, he waited on Jason to join him. "Your ribs hurting you?"

"They're a little stiff, but so far they're not hurting." Walking up the drive, he reached out and grabbed hold of Tommy's hand. He knew that his palms were sweaty, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Gently squeezing his friend's hand, he gave him a warm smile. "Ya know, it's been a while since I've seen your folks. It'll be good to get reacquainted with them, too."

They arrived at the side door inside the garage and Tommy waited to see if Jason would knock or just open the door and go right in. Turns out, he did neither.

Several times Jason raised a shaking hand to either knock or turn the knob, but it never got very close to the door. Finally, he shook his head and looked over at his best friend, tears pooling in his eyes. "Knock for me?"

Tommy gave his friend a sad smile and then placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "Okay, no problem," he said and then reached up and knocked on the door. "Deep breaths, babe."

Taking a deep breath, Jason nodded and then stood there waiting for the door to open.

Michael Scott raised an eyebrow at his wife. "See? I told you that I heard someone pull into the driveway."

"I didn't doubt you, I just didn't hear it myself," his wife answered. When he started to get up from the table, she stopped him in his tracks. "I'll get it-just finish clearing the table so we can set it for dinner." Throwing the dishtowel over her shoulder, Gabriella Scott went to the door. "Yes?" she said while opening the door without looking through the peephole. When her eyes took in the sight before her, her mouth fell open. "Ja-Jason?"

Tears started falling softly as the man stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the woman. "Hey Mom."

For a moment, she didn't return the hug out of shock. "Is it really you?" she asked, finally wrapping her arms around the young man.

Tommy felt his own tears starting as he watched the long overdue reunion. He didn't want to say anything just yet, afraid he might ruin the moment.

"It's really me, Mom." He rested his head on her shoulder and choked back a sob. "God, I've missed you."

"Oh Jason...we've missed you so much, baby," she said, tears starting to fall. She hugged him tight and started to sway from side to side a bit. "My prayer has been answered."

When his wife didn't return after a few minutes, Michael went to see what was going on. What he saw pulled him up short. "Jason?" For a moment, he didn't move before closing the distance between the pair and enveloping them both in a hug. "My boy's finally home."

In the middle, Jason kind of grunted as his dad hugged both him and his mom, but he only loosened one arm to gather his dad into a hug as well. "Yeah, I'm home." He was unable to hold his emotions back any longer as soft sobs started to shake his body. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Tommy was a little torn. He felt extremely happy that his friend had reunited with his parents and that he was there to witness it, but at the same time, he felt a bit like he was intruding. Not wanting to get in the way, he stepped back a little and just continued to silently watch the little family.

"It's okay, baby...it's okay. I'm just glad you're home now," Gabriella said through her tears. "We've missed you so much."

Michael straightened up a bit before ruffling his son's hair. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and spotted another familiar figure. "Tommy, come on in here, son."

The former Ranger Commander was quickly reminded of why he loved his best friend's parents so much. They always had room in their hearts for everyone. Smiling, but with a few stray tears still rolling down his cheeks, Tom stepped up and joined in the group hug. "Hey Mama and Papa Scott-it's been too long."

Jason stepped back a bit and let go of his mom, who immediately stepped forward to begin squeezing the daylights out of his best friend. Moving over to his dad, Jason wrapped his arms around the older man and rested against him. "Tommy found me in Seattle, convinced me that I should come home for a visit."

Hearing this, Mrs. Scott took Tommy's face in her hands and looked up into his large, brown eyes. "I might have known it'd be you that brought him back to us. My other son..." she said and then went back to hugging him.

"Awww, I'm just glad I could talk him into it. Jason is and always has been very special to me," Tom remarked.

Giving his son a final squeeze, Michael looked over at the other young man. "Well, you two have excellent timing. We were just about to sit down and have dinner." He laid a soft kiss on his son's forehead. "Just happens to be your favorite, too."

Jason's eyes lit up as he met his father's eyes. "Lasagna?" His stomach rumbled as his dad nodded, causing the younger man to blush hard. "It's been a long time since I've had real, homemade lasagna."

"Yeah, not just anyone can make real, authentic lasagna like Mama Scott can," Tommy added with a smile.

Gabriella gave his arm a gentle push. "Well, I've had lots of practice. Come on, let's go eat." With a big smile obscuring the last of her tears, Mrs. Scott turned and walked back into the kitchen to feed her favorite boys.

Michael gave his son a squeeze and let him go. "I'm gonna grab a couple more plates, you and Tom go sit down." Following his wife into the kitchen, he stepped up to where she was standing at the sink and handed her a tissue. "You're not dreaming, Gabby… he really is here."

She didn't make any noise, but just slowly shook her head as she took the offered tissue. She had prayed for so long that her son would find his way home one day and now here he was. There was so much she wanted to ask him, so many things she needed to know... but for now it was enough that he was sitting at her dining room table, safe and sound.

Wrapping his arms around her, Michael held his wife for several moments before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I'll get the extra plates and stuff. Just take your time and we'll wait for you in the dining room." As he walked over to the cabinets, the man took a moment to wipe his own eyes while offering up a silent thank you to God that he'd seen fit to let his son come back to them.

Making his way into the dining room, Jason sat heavily in his old chair before taking a deep, shuddering breath as he tried to regain some control over his emotions.

Tommy sat down, turning to look at his overwrought friend. "See? I told you they'd welcome you home with open arms, now didn't I? It's all gonna be okay, bro-you'll see." He placed his hand on Jason's thigh and gave it a quick squeeze.

The young man nodded. "I know, but seeing them like that really made me realize what all I've put them through over the last few years." He wiped at his eyes. "They don't know about anything that happened up there and I'm not sure how to tell them."

"Well, there's no reason to tell them everything right now. They know you're pretty upset too, so I'm sure they'll understand if you want to take your time in explaining everything. Just take it a step at a time. I'm here for support and I'm not going anywhere," his best friend said with a reassuring smile.

"And I'm extremely grateful that you're here." Moving closer to his friend, he wrapped his arms around the former Ranger Commander. "Thank you for being here with me."

Tommy eagerly returned the hug and gently rubbed Jason's back, trying to soothe him a bit. "No place I'd rather be," he whispered.

Walking back into the dining room, Michael paused in the doorway at the scene in front of him. When his son had first told them that he thought he was gay, Michael hadn't wanted to believe it. After a while, he realized that it didn't change who his son was and it was easier to picture him in a loving relationship like he had with Gabriella. There was, however, only one person that he could ever picture Jason with and that happened to be the man who held his son right now.

Clearing his throat a bit to let them know he was there, Mike stepped forward and started setting the two extra places. "We're really glad that you're both here."

Jason jerked up and away from Tommy like he'd been shot, pulling slightly at his still-tender ribs. He blushed hard as he met his father's eyes. "Dad...we, uh...we didn't hear you come in."

Tommy was more startled by Jason's reaction than by the sound of Michael's voice. He looked up at his friend's father's face to see what his reaction would be.

Setting the plates down, Michael took a seat next to his son. "Boys, I think it's time that we had a little talk." He held up his hand when Jason tried to speak. "No, this time it's you two that need to listen." The man paused a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Jason, when you first told us that you were gay, I'll admit that I was disappointed. All I could think about was not having anyone to carry on the family name and never getting to know your wife or kids, but it took me a while to realize that you were still the same son that I'd changed diapers and cleaned skinned knees for." Pausing again, he reached out a hand and gently cupped the back of Jason's neck. "The longer I thought about what you'd told us, the more I just wanted you to have a good life with someone you loved." He looked over at Tommy. "And the only person that could ever imagine you having that with was Tommy."

The former Ranger Commander tried to hide his reaction, but it was difficult. He'd never heard anyone say something like that about him and even though they weren't officially a couple, he couldn't help but be encouraged by the man's kind words. He nodded and gave him a small smile, waiting to see how his friend would respond.

It took Jason several moments to really understand what his dad was saying, but when he finally got it, fresh tears sprang to his eyes. He moved closer to his dad and wrapped his arms around him once again. "You don't know what it means to me for you to say that." Resting his head on his dad's shoulder, Jason sighed. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, son." Looking over at the other young man sitting there, Michael gave him a wink. "Just remember that our room is next to yours."

Tommy's eyes widened a bit at that statement and a smile started in the corners of his mouth. "Well, to be honest, we're not actually a couple yet. I'm trying to talk him into it," he replied with a smile and a chuckle.

Blushing hard, Jason sat back and lightly punched his best friend in the arm. "Keep it up Falcon, I know where you're sleeping tonight." He sighed and looked over at his dad who was watching the byplay with a slight smile before reaching out and taking Tommy's hand. "We still have a few things to talk about before we can really be a couple, like who would do the moving."

"Well, if you want a mother's opinion, I say Jason should move back down this way. Doesn't have to be in Angel Grove, but somewhere closer would be really nice," Mrs. Scott said with a big smile as she placed the bubbling lasagna dish on the table.

Chuckling softly, Michael poured them all glasses of iced tea. "Well, I for one don't see how you've made it this long in a place that gets more rain than sun."

"Myself," Tommy said in agreement with Mr. Scott. When that earned him a look from Jason, the former White Ranger just shrugged. "What? It's true!" he grinned.

Rolling his eyes, Jason adjusted his chair a bit, wincing as he did. "That's part of the reason I live on the beach and have two dogs." After folding his napkin in his lap, the Original Red Ranger inhaled deeply. "That smells really good, Mom."

"Two? I thought you only had one," Gabriella questioned, taking her seat on the other side of the table from the boys.

Shaking his head, Jason chuckled softly. "No, I've got two now and both are boys. They're actually half brothers, but the youngest one is only about four months old. He's really smart though and I think that's why he gets into so much in the house."

"That pup is a mess lookin' for a place to happen. Cute as hell, though," Tommy said with a smile and then realized what he'd said. "Ooops, sorry. Excuse my language, ma'am," he blushed.

She raised an eyebrow at him, leaving no doubt as to where Jason got it from, but then smiled. "It's okay, but watch it if you want dessert." She pointed her fork at him to punctuate the sentence.

"Awww man, now there's a threat. Can't miss out on one of your desserts... I'll behave," Tommy grinned.

With a grin, Jason let his fork slide through the layers of meat, cheese, pasta, and sauce. After getting it to his mouth, the man chewed slowly and closed his eyes. There was nothing like his mom's cooking and it was something he'd sorely missed. Once he finally swallowed, he opened his eyes and looked at his mom. "Just like I remembered it."

"Well, good. I hope that I get to cook for you more often now. There's only so much I can send through the mail, ya know," she said, picking up her tea glass. "So ummmm, how long will you be in town, honey?"

"Only a couple of days this trip." He looked up and met her eyes. "Tom and I are going to take a bit of a vacation together in the Virgin Islands."

"Ooooh, the Virgin Islands..." she said with a grin. Turning to her husband, she quipped, "Why don't you take me anywhere like that, huh?"

Tommy chuckled and just kept eating, wanting to see how this played out.

The architect of the group raised an eyebrow before looking over at his son. "See what you've done? Hawaii wasn't good enough for the honeymoon." He winked at the two boys. "And a trip to visit family over in Italy wasn't enough for our 20th wedding anniversary. Now I'm going to have to take her to the Virgin Islands or I'll never hear the end of it."

Gabriella said nothing, but just sat there nodding her head and grinning.

Playing along, Jason snorted. "Well, you did promise her that you'd take her on an Alaskan cruise too and that was before deciding to go to Italy."

"That's right...I'd forgotten about that. Thank you, Jason!" she grinned and winked at him and Tommy.

"Oh boy..." Tom said under his breath and took a sip of tea to hide his grin.

Blushing at the look his father was giving him, the young doctor just shrugged. "What? You've been promising her an Alaskan cruise since I went to the Peace Conference when she started getting all excited about me being able to see other parts of the world."

Shaking his head, Michael pointed at his son's plate. "Eat so that mouth of yours has something else to do besides get me in trouble."

Tommy laughed, but getting a warning look from Mr. Scott, he too just put his head down and kept eating. Once they were done, the science teacher helped Mrs. Scott clear the dishes away so that Jason could talk to his dad alone for a few minutes. "That was wonderful, Mama-just like I remember," he said once they were in the kitchen.

"Oh, you're welcome, honey. You need to drop by more often too, ya know."

He blushed a bit and looked down at the floor. "I know...I'm sorry I haven't visited more often. Teaching keeps me hoppin' during the school year," he said by way of an excuse.

Sitting back in his seat, Jason took a long drink of his tea before looking over at his dad. "I get the feeling you have a few things that you want to ask me."

"Well yeah, there are...but I don't want to overwhelm you." He paused and thought for a moment. "I guess the most important thing is, how are you? Have you been okay up there in Seattle by yourself?"

There were several things that Jason could say and just brush the question aside without really answering it, but he knew that the time for keeping people out of his life was coming to an end and it had to start somewhere. Opening up a bit to Tommy was a good start, but there was no way that he could keep things from his parents. "I think the best thing that I can say is I'm slowly getting better after getting in a fight, which is where I met up with Tommy again. Aside from that," he shook his head, "I pretty much just exist up there dad, I'm not really living."

"A fight? It must've been a bad one...you both okay?" he asked, very concerned for his son's well-being.

"I got a couple ribs cracked and pulled the muscle over them and Tom took a few hits to the back, but we're both doing good." He didn't want to give his dad a lot of details for both his and Tommy's sakes.

Michael grimaced. "Oooh, cracked ribs hurt. Glad you're doing alright." He paused, trying to figure out what to say next. "So you say you're just existing-not really living. How long have you felt that way?"

The younger Scott shrugged. "I hadn't really felt that way until I started talking to Tommy again and then I realized that shutting myself off like I had been wasn't doing anyone, especially me, any favors." He sighed softly. "He probably saved my life, Dad." Looking up, he met his father's eyes. "I owe him more than I can ever think of repaying that man."

Mr. Scott slowly nodded, realizing how bad things had gotten for his son. "I'll be sure and thank him, believe me. And I really meant what I said earlier...I can't honestly imagine you with anyone else."

"I love him, Dad, and have since before I went to the Peace Conference." He could feel tears starting to well up again, but did nothing to stop them. "All these years, I thought that I'd never get a chance to be with him and I've just gotten through each day because without Tommy in my life," he shook his head slightly, "there's not really a reason for doing anything. If I would have gotten into a relationship with anyone, I'd have been settling and it wouldn't have lasted."

"From what I can tell, he seems okay with trying a relationship with you. Are you holding him off for some reason or are you two just trying to figure things out?"

"We're just trying to figure things out right now, but I am interested in trying to have one with him as well." He hesitated with telling his dad the main reason they were taking things slow.

"Good. I really hope you two can make a go of it and hey, if you need any help moving..." he said with a wink and a smile.

He chuckled softly. "The stuff I'd want to move with can easily fit in one truck, but I'll keep you in mind if that time comes."

"Okay. Your mom and I will be happy to dog sit for you too," he smiled. "Speaking of Mom, wonder what's keeping her and Tommy?" he asked, looking in the direction of the kitchen.

Gabriella snorted softly and smacked him with a dish towel. "There are holidays, Thomas, and you cannot tell me that you have stayed up in Reefside for each and every one of them."

"I'm sorry, Mama. I'll do better, I promise," he said and lowered his head, looking up at her through his lashes with those big, puppy dog eyes.

Shaking her head, she reached over and pulled him into a hug. "You'd better." She was quiet for a few moments before speaking again. "I can't thank you enough for bringing my baby home to me."

"I'm glad I could convince him to come. It's not that he didn't want to come, it's just...it's been a while and he was really nervous." He paused. "I mean _really_ nervous. If he'd been driving I probably couldn't've made him stop here," Tommy said, trying to make some explanation to the lady.

She nodded. "He's quieter than he used to be and even though he joked around a bit with Michael, it seemed kind of forced." For several moments she just watched the young man in front of her. "What happened to my baby and don't you dare tell me 'nothing', Thomas Oliver." Moving closer she put a finger in his chest. "I never said anything when you boys were off fighting those monsters and lying to us about it at every turn, but you _will _tell me the truth about this."

There was no way that Tommy could hide his surprise at what she'd just said. "You know about all that? How long have you known?" he asked, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

Stepping back, the lady crossed her arms over her chest. "I've known about it since you first started hanging around with Jason and the others." She laughed softly and the look on his face. "Baby, did you all honestly think that wearing the same color clothes as your uniforms was a good way to hide who you were?"

"Well no, I guess not." He shook his head. "We were just drawn to those colors. I'm sure you're not the only one that figured it out," he chuckled. "Now as for your baby...I'm not gonna tell you nothin' happened, but be more specific." Tommy wasn't sure if she was referring to his current discomfort from his ribs, the change in his personality, or just why he hadn't come home in so long.

"What happened to change Jason from the happy, outgoing boy he used to be? And I know it didn't all have to do with his job." Sighing softly, Gabriella shook her head. "He started changing after that last karate tournament you boys did together, but he left in such a hurry that I barely got a chance to talk with him."

Sighing heavily, Tom wondered how much he should tell Mrs. Scott. "Well, it really should be Jason telling you these things, but...it might take him a while and I think you have the right to know," he started, pausing for a minute and looking toward the dining room where his friend sat talking to his dad.

When she gave him the eye, he decided to get on with the explanation. "It all had to do with his orientation and his decision to tell our friends. You see, some of them didn't take it too well."

Shaking her head, the older woman sighed. "I could understand someone that didn't know him reacting badly, but all of them should have known that Jason himself didn't change, just who he felt drawn to."

"Yeah well...a couple of his oldest friends are the ones that turned their backs on him and it really scarred him. I had absolutely no idea or I would've done something about it long ago." He stopped and took a sip of tea while gathering his thoughts. "The way Jason explains it, the fact that some of the people he thought he could count on turned on him just made him question everything."

"Zachary wouldn't have been one of those to turn his back on my baby would he?" She frowned. "It would explain why he suddenly returned a couple of things that Jason had left at his place, but refused to stay. The boy wouldn't even meet my eyes. He just dropped the stuff off and left."

Tommy slowly nodded in response to her question. "Yeah, he's one of them," he said in a voice tinged with bitterness.

"Well then I guess that we can just hope he one day sees the error of his ways, but until that time we'll just have to help you boys get through this." Going over to the fridge, Gabriella pulled out loaf pan and carried it over to the counter. "Now, if you'll pour the coffee into that carafe we'll get dessert plated for the two lugheads in the dining room."

Chuckling, Tommy did as he was asked. "I'm trying to help him get past it, Mama. He's been opening up to me more and more during the time we've spent together. I think he'll get past it, but it may take a while."

"Just remember not to rush him. Much as I love my son, there are times that I just want to beat him upside the head with a tire iron. As stubborn as his father and don't think that boy was an angel growing up." She shook her head while plating the tiramisu. "Don't know how many of my plants he trashed practicing his karate or how many times I opened the refrigerator to find worms crawling all over the place because he needed somewhere to put them until he went fishing."

Tommy laughed out loud at that. "Oh, I have no doubt he was a major handful growing up. I mean, I'm sure he's still that way to a certain extent, but his ribs have kept him from..." he stopped, knowing he'd said too much.

Spatula in hand, the Italian mother turned to face the young science teacher. "His ribs what, Thomas Matthew Trueheart Oliver?"

Tommy flinched at the use of his full legal name. "Oooh...the full name." He looked into her face and also noticed the spatula she was threatening him with. "Okay, put the spatula down and I'll tell you, okay?" Once she had at least lowered it, he went on with his explanation. "To be honest, your son absolutely saved my life while I was in Seattle. I, ummm, had a problem with some guys who decided to teach me a lesson for not being straight and Jason took them all on. They probably would've killed me if he hadn't been there, but he did crack a couple of ribs in the fight." He spared her the gory details figuring that she didn't need to hear all of that anyway.

She nodded. "Sounds like something my son would do." Going quiet for a moment, she studied the young man in front of her. "Jason ended up with a few cracked ribs, but what did you get?" She shook a finger at him. "And don't you try and tell me that you got away without a scratch or you would've been helping my boy kick some butt."

"Oh yeah, I would've been helping him if I could have, you know that. I got some pretty deep cuts in my back and a huge knot on the back of my head when they knocked me out." He couldn't help but see the shock on her face. "I told you, they would've killed me if Jase hadn't been there. I owe him my life," he said, his emotions getting stirred again.

Shaking her head, the woman walked over and wrapped her arms around the boy. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry that you both had to get hurt like that to find each other again."

"Yeah, me too," he said, a stray tear rolling down his cheek. After a lengthy pause during which he just enjoyed being held by this sweet woman, he cleared his throat. "Ya know, as hardheaded as both me and Jase are...it really doesn't surprise me that it took something apocalyptic to bring us back together."

Laying a hard swat to his backside, she finally let him go. "That's for not calling and letting us know where either one of you were plus getting into trouble like that." A soft snort came from the older woman as she went back to plating the dessert. "I've got a good mind to knock both your heads together, but I don't think it'd do any good." She chuckled softly. "Might even shake loose the few good brain cells you both have left."

"Yes ma'am, you're probably right. You'd think two doctors would have better sense, if not better luck."

One eyebrow rose slowly on the Italian mother as a hand made its way to a hip. "And why am I just now hearing that you are a doctor?"

Tommy smiled sheepishly. "Ummm...did I forget to tell you that I got my doctorate in Paleontology?" He looked her in the eyes. "By that expression, I'm guessing so. Ooops."

"Men, I swear if it isn't one thing it's another." She nodded at the tray set with stuff for the coffee. "Grab that tray and bring it with you before I decide that you don't get any dessert tonight."

He dropped his head slightly and took hold of the tray. "Yes ma'am." As he followed her back into the dining room, he thought about how weird it was that he liked being reprimanded by his best friend's mom. _'She makes me feel like a kid again,' _he mused.

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, Michael watched the wayward duo walk back into the dining room. It hadn't really struck him how much Tommy had changed since the last time they'd seen him until now. Standing beside Gabriella, the boy who had once been plied with food every time he moved had long since vanished. In its place stood a tall, well-built young man that was confident within his own skin. The shorter haircut made him look more professional and rounded out the look of someone that had done well in their life. "We were starting to think that Gabby had run you off, Tom." He grinned. "That or hogtied you for not coming around more."

Tommy smiled and turned around. Looking over his shoulder at Jason, he asked, "Tell me, do I still have a butt or did your mom chew it off?"

Quirking an eyebrow that made him resemble his mom even more, Jason leaned back a bit and looked. "No, it's still there." He chuckled softly. "Gave ya a hard time, did she?"

"Oh yeah, majorly. It's obvious where you get it from," he said with a playful smirk at Mama Scott.

Shaking his head, Michael helped his wife pass out the dessert. "Hope you boys never thought that I was in charge of this house. Gabby put her foot down on that one right from the start." He grinned. "But I also learned that you don't argue with her about some things and heaven help you if she finds out you've been keeping something from her."

Blushing Jason took his helping from his dad before passing another one on to his friend. "Thanks Dad, and we'll keep that in mind, I promise."

-o-O-o-

As the evening was winding down, Mrs. Scott took Jason aside for a moment while they were in the kitchen. "So, will you boys stay over with us? I'd love the chance to make pancakes for you in the morning," she smiled.

He blushed a bit and ducked his head before looking at her. "Tom and I were kind of hoping that we could stay here while we're in town, but we didn't want to impose."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Impose? Are you serious? I've been waiting five years to see you and you thought you'd be imposing on us? I oughta pop you upside the head for that."

The young man chuckled softly before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "We'd be happy to stay here and have you make banana chocolate chip pancakes for us in the morning."

She nodded. "Alright then, that's better." She paused for a moment and placed a hand on his arm. "Ummm, about the sleeping arrangements... Would you want to stay together or in separate rooms?"

Jason paused for a moment. This was something that he and Tommy had talked about in the car on the drive from Reefside. He sighed softly. "Separate for now." The former Gold Ranger shifted nervously. He wasn't ashamed of sharing a bed with his best friend, but he was still a little uncomfortable with it in his parents' house.

"Are you sure? Your dad and I will be okay with it if you both want to stay in your room. Honestly."

"Yeah, I'm sure. We already talked about it and Tom's okay with it. If our decision changes, I'll let you know, I promise."

"Well, okay. So you want bacon or sausage with your pancakes?" she asked with a grin.

He chuckled softly. "If it happens to be the thick sliced, brown sugar cured bacon from Mr. Wallace's, we're all about the bacon."

"What else?" she asked off-handedly, sliding past him and heading for the stairs. "I'll go make sure your room is ready."

"Thanks, Mom." The young doctor watched her walk away before re-joining his dad and Tom in the living room.

-o-O-o-

As they were getting ready for bed in the upstairs bathroom, Tommy and Jason talked about what to do the next day.

"I'm gonna call Adam and Rocky after breakfast and arrange for us to get together with those guys for a bit. Where would you feel most comfortable meeting them?" Tom asked.

The Original Red Ranger thought about it for several minutes before answering. "How about the park? It's public, but we can get some privacy there." He met the warm, chocolate eyes. "Kind of like neutral ground, you know?"

"Sure, that'll be fine. We could meet at the pavilion and maybe have lunch together if they can make it that early."

The dark head bobbed. "That'll work." He pulled a shirt to sleep in out of his bag. "Can you give me a hand with this?"

Tommy stepped over and helped Jason get his shirt on without pulling on his ribs. "So you're in your room and I'm in the guest room, right?"

"Yeah, right across the hall." His arms wrapped around his friend's waist and held him there for a moment. "Thank you for making me come here and being understanding about this."

"You're welcome," Tom responded, laying his arms on Jason's shoulders. "We'll be in the islands pretty soon where I'll have you all to myself...I can wait a day or so." He leaned in and softly kissed his best friend's full lips.

Jason returned the kiss and let it linger for several minutes before pulling back and resting his forehead against Tommy's. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Mmm, me too," he cooed. "We'll have fun tomorrow…you'll see."

"I trust you. I'm just still nervous about seeing any of my old friends." He paused and sighed heavily. "At least I won't have to worry about bumping into Zach or Kim. I don't think I could take that."

"I wouldn't worry—I really can't see that happening. From what Adam tells me, he almost never sees either one of them and he lives here in the same town." Just as Tommy finished speaking, he fought and lost a battle with a big yawn.

"Sounds like you need a nap," Jason said with a chuckle. "It's been a long day…let's get some sleep." He placed another soft kiss on Tommy's lips.

"Good idea. Gonna tuck me in?"

"If you want," Jason replied with a warm smile. "But no story…I'm too tired tonight."

Tommy pouted momentarily, but then grinned. "Okay, I'll take a raincheck."

Once his best friend had been properly tucked in and given a goodnight kiss, Jason crawled into his old queen-sized bed and laid there with the lamp on for several minutes. His parents had kept his old room just like it'd always been. He even still had clothes in the dresser drawers and closet.

"I've been such an idiot," he mumbled to himself, wondering again why he'd stayed away so long. "I'm the only child my parents have and look at what I've put them through. I really don't deserve the welcome I got."

He sighed again and reached over, turning out the light. _'I'll make it up to them…I have to,' _he thought, trying to settle down and get some sleep.

Across the hallway, the former Green Ranger was attempting the same thing. The bed was comfortable enough, but his mind was still running at 100 mph trying to process everything that had gone on. _'Man, Jason's dad threw me for a loop with that, 'Tommy's the only one I could ever see you with' comment. I had no idea he thought that highly of me.' _He switched positions in the bed. _'I hope this trip goes well. It'll do us both a lot of good if it does,' _he smiled to himself. _'I'll probably remember my snorkeling gear and forget something obvious like my toothbrush.'_

Gabriella put away her rosary after finishing her nightly prayers and leaned over to place a light kiss on Michael's cheek. "Still can't believe our baby's home. I've missed him so much," she sighed, sinking down into the bed and adjusting her pillow.

"I know. I was seriously beginning to wonder if we'd have to go to Seattle and find his silly butt. Looks like Tommy beat us to it."

She nodded. "I've always loved that boy, but now…he's gonna be even more like another son." The joy in her voice was unmistakable.

"Now mama…don't get ahead of yourself. He and Jason aren't a couple just yet. They live a little far apart to maintain any kind of relationship."

"They'll get it worked out. You yourself told me how miserable Jason said he was up in Washington by himself. He'll move back down this way. Did you know that our boy saved Tommy's life while he was up in Seattle?" Mrs. Scott turned over toward him and smiled.

"Well, I know they got into a fight—Jason told me that much. Was it that bad?" Michael asked, eyebrow raised.

"Apparently." She began relating the story as Tommy had told it to her in the kitchen. "And he said that they probably would've killed him if Jason hadn't been there." Gabriella paused and shook her head. "Such utter meanness…Tommy is a doll. Oh, and he's a doctor now too!" she beamed.

They continued on for several minutes comparing notes and discussing the situation. One thing was clear: The Scotts were exceedingly happy and thankful to have their little boy under their roof once again.

-o-O-o-

_Tommy looked at some of the faces of the other bar patrons as he made his way through the cramped, dimly lit club. The beat of the music pounded against his chest from the outside just as his heart beat against the inside. He wasn't accustomed to picking up people in bars and part of him wanted to turn tail and run the other way. _

'_You're just gonna go talk to this guy, nothing more. There's nothing wrong with talking to someone,' he told himself as he followed the other man down a short hallway._

_When the guy in question reached the door he was looking for, he turned and gave Tommy an evil grin as he opened the door and stood back out of the way for the former Ranger to enter first. "After you, dear." The term of affection was uttered with such sarcasm and contempt that it made Tommy narrow his eyes at the man. _

"_What are you playing at anyway?" the former Ranger Commander asked, suddenly becoming extremely suspicious of his new-found acquaintance._

"_Just get your ass in there and you'll find out," he barked, grabbing Tommy's neck and practically throwing him through the doorway and into the nearly pitch dark room._

_Before he could get his balance or his bearings back, the science teacher felt a blinding pain in the back of his head and what little light there was went out… _

In the darkened, silent room, the figure in the bed began to squirm and moan quietly.

_As his eyes blinked open, Tommy suddenly felt like he was being smothered—the thick smoke in the room was choking him and stinging his eyes—his head pounded with pain in time with his own heartbeat. 'I can't move' he quickly realized as fear began to grip him. "What's going on?" he yelled. "Why are you doing this to me?"_

"_Shut up, bitch!" he heard a male voice growl from somewhere in front of him. "We'll tell you when you can talk."_

'_We'll?' Tom thought. 'How many of them are there?' He began to fight and pull at his restraints as the gravity of the situation settled on him. "Let me go, dammit!"_

_From off to his left side he heard a menacing laugh. "Be a good little faggot and we might let you live," the other man said._

_Tommy felt a sharp slap to his face and heard the owner of the hand move around behind him. Being on his knees and unable to move, the former Ranger realized how vulnerable he was—a huge knot suddenly formed in his stomach. Then he felt someone's fingers trail down his back and to his horror, became aware that he was at least mostly naked._

'_Oh my God, they're gonna rape me!' He began to struggle with renewed strength, his heart beating wildly in his chest. "NO! Let me go!" he screamed, determined to fight to the last._

In the Scotts' guest bedroom, Tommy began to sweat as he thrashed about, fighting his attackers in his dream.

_He heard the slap of the leather as it hit his back—he felt the searing, sharp pain as his skin was torn open—he could see the shadows of at least five men as they circled menacingly around him. 'I'm gonna die if I don't get outta here!' Then he felt large, rough hands on his hips…_

"_Stop! Why are you doing this to me?" he yelled in panic. "Oh God, help me—make them stop," he muttered, tears forming in his eyes._

"_God doesn't help freaks like you," a voice from in front of him spat as the man grabbed Tommy's chin and pulled his head up. "Go ahead and yell all you want…nobody can hear you."_

_Tom continued to fight and pull at his restraints fruitlessly until he heard what sounded like a punch connecting and then someone hit the ground near him. Then he heard it again—there was a fight going on._

"_Help me! Please…help me!" he screamed, hoping that whatever was going on would be to his advantage._

"_Hang on, bro…I'll get you outta here!" a familiar voice said and then someone else hit the floor._

_He immediately knew that the voice belonged to his best friend and for the first time, he had a glimmer of hope that he'd get out of this alive. Suddenly there was more light in the room and he could better see what was going on. There was Jason, taking on several men and getting the better of them, from what Tommy could see._

_However, as quickly as the fight had begun, it came to a halt when two of Tommy's attackers grabbed Jason from behind and another landed several hard blows to the man's stomach and face. They dropped him on the floor, bleeding and moaning, and stood over him delivering a couple of fierce kicks to the former Gold Ranger's sides. Jason coughed and moaned—it sounded as if he was having trouble breathing. Tom's eyes grew wide as he realized that not only was his best friend and would-be savior being savagely beaten, but that his only chance of being set free was slipping from him._

"_Jason!" he yelled, fearing for his friend as much as himself. _

_As if in slow motion, the former Ranger Commander watched the man who had initially befriended him in the club pull a large handgun from the waistband of his jeans and train it on Jason's head. He wiped at the blood that seeped from his mouth and turned to look at Tommy. "You think he's gonna help you, huh? Do ya, punk? I don't think so," he growled, turning back to Jason and kicking him again. "This is what you get for interfering," he yelled at the bleeding Original Red Ranger._

_All Tommy knew was that he heard a sharp "pop" and saw fire issue from the barrel of the gun. "JASON!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "NO! Please no!"_

The violence of his dream finally broke through to reality as Tommy thrashed and lashed out at his invisible attackers in the dark bedroom. "Jason! Oh God, no! Please no! Jason!" he yelled aloud, screaming through his tears. He was soaked in sweat and had long-since pushed the bed sheets and pillows into the floor as he squirmed and fought.

Jason frowned as he slept. At times, he thought that he could hear someone groaning nearby, but there wasn't anyone in the room. The almost bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the house as his best friend started yelling his name drove the young doctor to his feet in an instant. It took him a moment to realize what had woken him so suddenly, but once he did, Jason lost no time in hurrying to Tommy's side. "Oh shit." The words came out automatically as he took in the sweat-drenched form of his friend. The Original Red Ranger didn't hesitate to move to his friend's side and try to wake him. "Tommy! Come on bro, I need you to wake up for me."

Still in the grip of the nightmare, Tommy continued to thrash and fight. Now that he felt new hands take hold of him, he only fought that much harder. "No! Let go!" He took a breath and screamed again. "Jason! Don't die...please!"

By this time, the sound of Tommy yelling out in his dream had reached the Scotts' bedroom. Ever the vigilant mother, Gabriella was up and moving as quickly as she could. "Michael, get up! Something's wrong with one of the boys!" With that, she was out the door and headed down the hallway.

Michael was a little slower, but once he was awake and heard the screaming, the architect was quick to follow his wife.

Trying again, Jason gave his friend a firm shake. "Tommy! I'm okay! It's just a dream." As his friend continue to thrash around fighting his hold, Jason took a seat on the bed and removed one hand only to lay it gently on his friend's cheek. "Easy Tom, it's okay. Come on Falcon, wake up now."

"Jase please...help me. They're gonna...rape me," he managed to get out, tears streaming from his still-tightly shut eyes. He was beginning to calm a little, but the dream still had a hold on him.

Mama Scott saw that both bedroom doors were open and heard voices coming from the guest room. She stopped in the doorway and watched as her son bent over his friend, trying to wake him. Michael arrived a few seconds later. "Looks like it's Tommy...nightmare," she said, worry evident in her voice.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, Michael gently held her in place. "Let's see if Jason can handle it." When she looked up at him, he sighed softly. "I know you want to help him Mama, but if they're ever going to be a couple then Jason has to be able to help him at times like this."

"I'm right here, Tom. You're safe now. All of the bad guys are gone, I promise." He reached his hand up and started gently carding it through his friend's sweat-dampened locks. "I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore. Just open your eyes for me, bro."

Moaning and still squirming a bit, Tommy finally managed to wake himself and his eyes opened wide to see who had their hands on him. He couldn't speak at first, still too terrified by the visions that he'd experienced. "Jase..." was all he could utter when he recognized the man leaning over him. The tears then began in earnest-some from fear and some from relief.

"Shhh, it's okay." Carefully, Jason wrapped his arms around Tommy and sat him up, just holding him while the other man gave vent to his emotions. "I've got you, Tom."

Tommy quickly wrapped his arms around Jason and held him close. "Oh my God...Jase," he panted. "That was awful." The images were still swirling through his mind, all jumbled up and not making a lot of sense. He just knew that his throat was sore and he was shaken to the core.

"Jason, honey...is he okay?" Gabriella asked from the doorway. "Can I do anything?"

Looking towards the doorway, Jason sighed. "Can you make some of your tea for us? We'd both appreciate it." He could feel Tommy shaking under his hands and wanted to give his friend a chance to calm down more.

"Okay, right away," she said and headed downstairs to brew some of her special recipe tea. It worked to soothe and calm and that's exactly what Tommy needed right now. "Poor boy...I haven't seen him like that since they were 15." She remembered several occasions when, as teenage boys, both Jason and Tommy would have terrible nightmares.

Tommy lifted his head momentarily after hearing Mrs. Scott to see Michael still standing there. "I woke your folks. I'm sorry," he said, his voice hitching as he tried to get a hold on his emotions.

Nodding his head at the boys, Michael went into the room. "Tom, after you've pulled yourself together a bit, I suggest you let Jason help you into some dry clothes before you boys come downstairs." As his son met his eyes, the elder Scott gave them both a soft smile. "Then you two go back to Jason's room for the rest of the night." He closed the rest of the distance and placed a soft kiss on the top of the head of both young men. "You two take your time, we'll be downstairs." With that, he left the two boys alone. _'Lord, please help them get through this and let them see that they need each other.'_

After his dad left, Jason relaxed a bit and started rubbing a hand up and down his friend's back. "They're not mad, Tom. Mom and Dad are just worried, that's all."

The man nodded. "I know. Still feel bad though." He rested against Jason and tried to make sense of the dream. "I was back at that club. You were there," he said quietly, his head on his friend's shoulder.

"That isn't what caused this though. Something changed in the dream, didn't it? That's what scared you so bad."

"I...I don't know. It's all so messed up in my head." He sighed and thought for a moment. "Did I say anything?"

For a moment, the young doctor didn't say anything before drawing back enough so that he could see his friend's face. "You asked me not to die and said that they were going to rape you."

Tom's eyes widened and he felt the knot in his stomach tighten. "Rape me? Ummm, yeah...they had me tied down just like before. You busted in and started fighting them." He paused and thought a bit more. Suddenly, he nailed Jason with his eyes, fear spreading through him once more. "He shot you...oh my God, Jase..."

The former Gold Ranger's hands came up to cup both sides of Tommy's face. "Hey, I'm right here, Falcon. He didn't shoot me and I'm okay. It was just a dream."

Tommy nodded slowly. "Okay...I'll be alright. I'm just shook up. Sorry I woke you," he said in a low, emotion-filled voice.

Leaning in, Jason placed a light kiss on the other man's lips. "It's okay."

Plucking at his sweat-soaked shirt, he said, "Your dad is right, I need to change. May as well use the bathroom while I'm at it." He shifted around in order to get up. "Wow, I tore this bed up, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." Jason smiled softly. "Get changed and we'll go down. Mom should have the tea ready and they'll both want to see that you're okay."

"Alright," he said, getting up and grabbing a fresh t-shirt from his bag. "Be right back." Once he'd changed and freshened up a bit, the boys went downstairs and had some tea with Mama and Papa Scott. Jason's parents were relieved to see that Tommy, while still shaken up, was pretty much okay. They talked for a bit and before long, everyone was yawning once more. The Scotts assured them that they were fine with them sharing a room, particularly since Tom was still a bit upset.

After giving both his parents a hug, Jason walked with his best friend back up to his room. "You going to be able to go back to sleep?"

"I hope so. The tea should help," he said and then paused. "Being with you will help too." He gave Jason the best smile he could manage.

"Well if it doesn't, let me know. I don't have anything really strong with me, but I did bring something that might help." Once in his room with the door shut, the first Red Ranger wrapped his arms around his friend. "I'm right here and not going anywhere, Tom."

Returning the warm hug, the former White Ranger laid his head against his friend's. "I just keep getting these images in my head...not good." He shut his eyes tightly and took a deep, staggered breath.

"Come on, let's lay down and we'll just rest together." He placed a light kiss on Tom's forehead. "I'll keep my arms around you to let you know I'm here."

"Okay, that sounds good. This seems like old times, huh? You letting me stay in your room after I've had a nightmare." Tom smiled a little.

Jason returned the grin. "Yeah, it does. Only last time you had a little more hair." Reaching up, he ran a hand through the short locks. "Come on, let's go to bed." Taking hold of Tommy's hand, he led him over to the bed and climbed in before patting the mattress beside him. "Lay down, bro."

Tom climbed between the cool sheets and readily snuggled up to his friend. "I hope I don't keep you awake. You're still healing," he said, laying his head on Jason's shoulder.

"So are you, Falcon. Maybe not physically, but that nightmare shows you've got some other healing to do." As he spoke, the doctor's arms came up around his friend, pulling him closer. One hand gently stroked up and down the toned back while the other rested on a trim hip with the thumb tracing light circles there. "Missed having you with me earlier." He kept his voice light and warm as he spoke.

"Mmmm, missed you too. Not sure what caused that nightmare," Tommy said, gently stroking Jason's stomach and side. He took and released a deep breath. "I love you, bro. You know that, right?"

"I know and I love you, too." Jason was quiet for a few moments. "Tom, I want to give us a try, but you're going to have to bear with me at times."

"You say that like I'm a fuckin' picnic. You'll have some dealing of your own to do, I promise you."

A soft laugh came from the other man. "No, I know that you're not a picnic. We've both got our issues, I know that, but I'm just letting you know up front that we might have to go slow with some things."

"I know and like I've already told you-we'll work through it. You're way too important to me to try to rush you or push you. I can be patient," Tom said in his most understanding voice.

Chuckling softly, the former Gold Ranger leaned in and gave his friend a soft kiss. "You say that now, Falcon."

"I'm serious though, Jase...really. I know it's not gonna be easy-very few things that are worth having are easy. I've waited a long time to even find you."

"Well, we've got the time now. So let's use it to make sure that we've got a chance and take it from there."

"What do you mean, 'make sure we've got a chance'? Of course we've got a chance...we just have to take it."

"I mean a chance at making it." Drawing back a little, midnight eyes met warm, chocolate ones. "I've wanted to be with you for years, Tom. No one else has ever captured my attention like you. This is it for me." He moved closer so that as he spoke, his warm breath ghosted over his friend's lips. "You are it for me."

_'Wow, no pressure Tom,'_ the science teacher thought as he digested his friend's words. "Well, there's lots of things I could say to that. I'm flattered, of course, and I'm so glad to hear you say that. I've always wanted to try a relationship with you and now I've finally got my chance. But one thing: we've gotta promise each other that we'll relax and not be all uptight about things, okay? You can't worry about every little thing."

"All I can promise is that I'll try. It's been a while for me." He grinned. "But we've got a week ahead of us with nothing to do but get to know each other again."

Tom smiled broadly. "And I'm really lookin' forward to it. Having you all to myself on a tropical island? Hell yeah," he chuckled.

Shaking his head, Jason sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Ummm...love me, put up with me, kiss me, hug me, get mad at me cause I say something stupid..." he grinned. "Shall I go on?"

"Hmmm, spank you, hold your head when you're barfing, pick up your underwear off the floor..." He broke off with a soft laugh as his best friend slapped him in the leg. "What? Something I said?"

They were nearly nose to nose as they playfully went back and forth. "You're such a smartass, you know that? That hasn't changed about you, Rex."

"Probably one of the few things that hasn't changed." Grinning, Jason started rubbing a hand along the contours of his friend's muscles. "I mean, last I saw you, your clothes fit you like they belonged on a scarecrow. And now, gotta admit bro, you've filled out nicely."

"Thank you. I've been working out a lot the last few years and trying to eat better. It's tough though, with the hours that I keep during the school year."

"Definitely paying off, bro." For a moment, the Original Red Ranger was quiet before he leaned in and placed his lips against Tommy's. He started the kiss off light, deciding to let his friend determine how it would go.

When Jason didn't deepen the kiss right away, Tommy wasn't sure why but he took the chance of doing it himself. He pressed his lips more firmly against his friend's and then nibbled at his lower lip. He moaned quietly and stroked Jason's stomach as he slowed deepened the kiss more and more.

Relaxing into it, Jason parted his lips slightly before reaching out with his tongue to tease Tom's lips. His hands weren't idle as they stroked the broad back and played with the short spikes with one hand and rested the other on a tight butt cheek.

When they reluctantly parted for air, Tom nuzzled into Jason's neck and nibbled a little at an earlobe. A couple of minutes later though, he couldn't fight down the big yawn that escaped him. He chuckled softly, "I'm gettin' sleepy again, I guess."

"I can understand that." Settling the covers over them both again, Jason wrapped his arms around the other man and held him close. "Get some sleep Falcon, I'll be right here."

"Okay." He reached up and kissed Jason once more. "Love you," Tom said quietly and settled down to try and get some rest.

"Love you, too." Planting a last, soft kiss on the other man's temple, the former Gold Ranger rested his head against Tommy's and closed his eyes, hoping that his friend would sleep easily the rest of the night.

-o-O-o-

Gabriella Scott looked at the clock on the kitchen wall as she took up the last of the bacon from the pan. "Guess I'm gonna have to go wake them up," she said to herself, smiling again at the knowledge that her son was actually sleeping in his bed again. After turning off the stove, she climbed the stairs and paused at Jason's bedroom door, listening for any sign of them being awake. Hearing nothing, she knocked quietly.

Shifting slightly in the bed, Jason slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the door. Although it had been years, he found himself still responding to his mother's gentle knock. When he tried to sit up a bit, he realized that the warmth on his chest came not from the blankets, but from his best friend. Smiling softly, he looked towards the door again and spoke quietly. "Come in."

She opened the door just a bit and stuck her head in. "Hey Sleepyhead. Breakfast will be ready in about 15 minutes, okay? Pancakes and sugar cured bacon." She smiled at her son, realizing that Tommy was still asleep on his chest.

He gave his mom a soft grin. "All right, thanks mom. Hopefully I'll be able to get lazy bones here up and going by then." Gently, he carded a hand through the short locks, further messing them up.

"Awww, I'm just glad he was able to get some sleep. I was worried about him last night," she replied, the sincerity evident in her voice. "See if you can get him up pretty soon, though. Don't want these banana chocolate chip pancakes to ruin." She gave him a big smile and quietly started to close the door.

"I'll try, I promise." Watching her leave, he waited for the door to click quietly shut before turning to his best friend. "Hey Sleepyhead, time to wake up." He started running a hand up and down Tommy's back.

"Mmmmm..." Tommy moaned, not wanting to wake up yet. He moved a little bit, but he was so comfortable and warm that it was hard to wake up.

Chuckling softly, Jason leaned over a bit and placed a light kiss on the other man's temple. "Tom, come on now, time to wake up."

Jason's voice finally filtered into his head and Tommy opened his eyes. "Mmmm...I don't wanna go to school today."

This time a soft laugh came from the Original Red Ranger. There were many mornings that a scene somewhat similar to this played out when they were teenagers. "Well, if you don't get up, you're going to miss out on my mom's banana chocolate chip pancakes and sugar cured bacon."

An eyebrow slowly went up. "Awww man, that sounds good. I remember your mom's pancakes... I'm gettin' up," he said with a grin and stretched up to give his friend a quick, soft kiss.

Jason returned the kiss before pulling back and grinning at his friend. "I thought you might be faking a little bit." He stretched a bit, being careful not to reach too high because of his ribs. "Come on, we both need to get going. Mom said we had about 15 minutes when she came up."

"Okay," the former Ranger Commander said through a yawn. "Dibs on the bathroom!" he said, yanking the covers back and hurrying out of the room, laughing.

Shaking his head and laughing at the antics of the former Ranger Commander, Jason got out of bed a bit slower. He decided not to get dressed just yet and instead took a few minutes to really figure out how he felt about things. While he was still a bit nervous about meeting up with Rocky and Adam again, the former Gold Ranger realized that for better or worse, Tommy was going to be with him and that one thing alone gave him enough strength to give almost anything a try.

After a few minutes, Tom came back into the room and found Jason just sitting on the edge of his bed. "You okay, bro?" he asked, taking a seat beside him.

Giving his friend a soft smile, the young doctor nodded. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. A little nervous about the prospect of meeting up with Adam and Rocky." Reaching out he laid a hand on Tommy's thigh. "But I know that you're going to be there and that helps a lot."

He nodded. "It'll be okay, I promise. You know them-they're both really cool guys and they like you a lot. I told you they'd been asking me if I'd heard from you. Besides, they're both bi...don't think they're gonna give you any crap about your orientation any more than they would me." He patted the hand on his leg.

Nodding, Jason leaned in and gave him a light kiss. "I'm gonna use the bathroom and then we can go down to get breakfast."

"Okay. We're getting dressed after breakfast, right? It's okay if I go like this?" he asked, indicating his t-shirt and sleep pants.

"Oh yeah." Standing up, he grinned. "I'm totally gonna enjoy this breakfast and that means being kinda lazy about it." He winked. "Be right back." With a slight chuckle, he made his way to the bathroom to take care of the necessities.

Before they even got to the kitchen, the wonderful aroma of Mrs. Scott's cooking reached their noses. Hurrying in and giving her a kiss, the boys quickly fixed plates for themselves and sat down at the table. Since Michael was already at work, they had a nice, leisurely breakfast with Mama Scott. Tommy assured her that he was okay after the disturbing nightmare that he'd had and they talked over a bit of what they planned on doing that day.

After the plates were cleaned and coffee cups drained, Tommy excused himself for a moment to call Rocky and Adam about setting up a meeting. "Adam? Hey, it's Tommy. How's it goin', bro?"

"Hey man, it's goin' pretty good. What's up with you?" the former Green Zeo Ranger answered.

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but I'm in Angel Grove and was hoping we could get together today."

"Really? I'd love to see you-it's been a while. You want me and Rock or just me?"

"Both of you. You'll never guess who I'm here with," Tommy answered, keeping Jason a surprise for a moment longer.

"Kim?" Adam asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, be serious...you know better than that."

"Okay, I give. Who?" Adam asked, getting more curious about Tommy's surprise.

"Jason," he said simply.

Rocky stood in front of his partner, his head tilted to the side a bit, wondering what was up.

"Jason...Scott? That Jason?"

"Yep, the very same," Tom smiled as he talked to his old friend. "So, would you guys like to get together with us?"

Adam looked over at Rocky as he spoke. "Oh yeah, we would definitely like to get together! Where and when?" he asked with a smile.

The former Ape's eyes had lit up and the name of someone he looked up to. While they hadn't gotten to know each other really well, Rocky had always respected the man whose powers he'd first taken over. Then getting to actually work with him years later was one of the best things about his time as a Ranger.

"How about the pavilion in the park about 11 o'clock? We'll bring lunch."

The former Frog grinned. "That'll be great man. It'll be good to see you both, especially Jason."

"I just need to let you guys know something. I'm the only one of his old friends he's seen in about five years. He's had some problems dealing with a few things that happened the last time he was home-a couple of our old friends treated him really shitty because they found out about his orientation. He's liable to be a bit nervous with you guys at first, so we need to try really hard to put him at ease, okay?" Tommy explained, trying to be tactful but wanting to get his point across.

Frowning, the second Black Ranger met Rocky's eyes. "Okay, but if you mean that he's not straight, it's cool Tom, you know that. Hell, I don't have the right to judge or criticize someone about their orientation." He winked at the other man. "I mean, look who I live with."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Tom chuckled. "I told him not to worry because you and Rocky would never judge him just because he's gay. I mean, you guys never judged me for being bi and that was before you two decided that you were too."

Adam chuckled softly as Rocky swatted him on his arm for the earlier remark before going back into the kitchen, muttering to himself in Spanish. "No kidding, but yeah man, we'll see you two then and tell Jason not to worry." He was quiet for a moment. "Tom, if you don't mind me asking, who was it?"

The former Ranger Commander looked around to make sure he was alone. If he hadn't still been so angry about the whole situation, he might've opted not to tell his old friends, but as it was, he wanted them to know. "Kim and Zach. They turned their backs on him like they didn't even know him. And they grew up with the man! Pisses me off to no end..."

"That's bullshit, bro." He was quiet for a few minutes. "We'll help him get through it and I know for a fact that they're both in town this weekend."

A wicked grin crossed Tom's face. "Oh they are, are they?" He thought for a moment. "Tell you what-we'll see how it goes when we get together. I may need your help with another little covert mission if everything goes well."

"Okay Falcon, not a problem." He chuckled softly as Rocky held up the cake he'd made that morning. Adam nodded. "Hey Tom, we'll bring dessert. Rocko made his triple chocolate mousse cake."

"Awww man, you're kidding me," Tommy replied, his mouth watering.

"Nope, he's been cooking most of the morning. Even made his 'from scratch' cinnamon rolls for breakfast." The Asian laughed softly. "We can bring some left over cinnamon rolls instead and if things go okay, maybe have dinner here tonight and save the cake for that." He knew what the answer was because Tommy had no trouble eating that particular cake two or three times a day.

"No, no...bring the cake! I'll just have to deal with eating it twice in one day," he grinned. "So we'll see you guys about 11 then, okay?"

Adam laughed softly. "Yeah, we'll see you then. Later, Falcon."

Rocky let his boyfriend hang up before grinning. "I'm guessing he said to bring the cake, huh?"

"Chocoholic Tommy? What do you think?" Adam laughed.

"Guess it's a good thing I made two then, huh?" He finished putting the cake into a carrier. "So when and where are we meeting them?" He cocked his head to the side. "Oh, and who are we planning on beating up?"

Adam shook his head. "Well, we're meeting up at the pavilion in the park at 11. As for who we're beating up...you're not going to believe this. Apparently, Jason had some problems with a couple of old friends the last time he was in town. If I'm understanding Tommy right, it's at least part of the reason he's stayed away so long."

"You're kidding me?" The young man went off in Spanish as he started cleaning up some of the dishes in the sink. "How the hell could anyone do that to Jason? He's a great guy, or at least he was, and never treated me like I was second string."

"I know, I've always liked him too." Adam shook his head. "Tom told me a little of what happened. Jason told Kim and Zach that he was gay and they completely turned their backs on him. Can you believe that?"

"Stupid people." He snorted. "Well, that's not gonna happen this time." The former blue Zeo was quiet for a moment. "If everything goes okay, let's have them back over here for dinner. I'll make some of my enchiladas and homemade tacos."

"Sounds like a good idea. Tom said that Jason will probably be a bit nervous, so we need to try really hard to put him at ease. I think we can do that, don't you?" he smiled at his boyfriend.

Walking over to his lover, Rocky put his arms around the trim waist. "More than anything, I think that's something we can do. Now, while we're waiting to meet them at the park, let's pick up around here a bit so it doesn't look like two guys with no time to clean live here."

Adam laughed. "You got it. Let's get to work."

Tommy walked back into the kitchen where Jason was still talking with his mom. "Okay, we're meeting Adam and Rocky in the park at 11. I told them we'd bring lunch," he grinned. "Rocky is bringing his triple chocolate mousse cake." He grinned and licked his lips.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "I think I remember him bringing one of his mom's once and it was really good."

Gabby chuckled softly. "Well, if you boys want to, you can take the leftover meatballs I have and make meatballs subs to take. I've even got a nice loaf of Italian bread and some good, smoky provolone that will go great with it."

"Oh, that sounds awesome, Mama. I'm sure they'd love that! That okay with you, Rex?"

The former Gold Ranger rubbed his stomach. "I might have to buy new clothes before this vacation is done."

"I know what you mean! I really need to work out," Tommy laughed. He looked up at the clock. "We'd better start getting showers and getting dressed if we're gonna make it on time."

The other man nodded and grinned at his mom. "Think I can get you to make up about six of your meatball subs and cut two of them in half?"

"Sure, I can do that. You boys go get ready to meet your friends," Gabriella said, getting up to start putting the sandwiches together.

"Thanks, Mama." Giving his mom a kiss on the cheek, Jason waited for Tommy before heading up the stairs.

Jason adjusted the grip he had on the cooler as the pavilion came into sight. He could see two people already there and slowed his strides a bit.

Tom realized that his best friend had slowed down a little and he slowed to match him. "It's gonna be okay, bro, I promise. I'm here," he said, giving Jason a warm smile.

The other man nodded. "I know, just been a while I guess." Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before nodding. "I'm okay."

Rocky nudged Adam as he spotted the pair coming closer. "There they are." He grinned. "Told you that Tommy finally learned how to tell time."

Adam grinned. "So he has." He watched them for a moment. "I'd know Tommy's walk anywhere, but it still surprises me how much bigger he is now."

"Yeah well, none of us has stayed the same as when we were teenagers, but yeah, Tom's changed the most." He watched both men for a moment. "You can tell Jason's nervous."

"Yeah, I can. Well, we'll make him feel welcome. Come on, let's meet them," Adam said, starting to walk toward the two approaching men.

"Hey Adam! Hey Rocky!" Tommy called out, giving his friends a wave.

Nodding, Rocky followed his boyfriend out. "Hola! How's it goin' guys?"

Jason shyly grinned at the other two men as they got closer. "Hey guys."

"Hey Jason! It's so good to see you!" Adam said with a big smile on his face. He reached out and placed a hand on the Original Red Ranger's arm. "I couldn't believe it when Tom called this morning and said you two were in town."

The first Red blushed slightly. "Yeah well, it's been a while since I've been home and Falcon here convinced me to come back for a visit."

"Yeah, it took some doing but I finally talked him into it," Tommy said with a smile. "Good to see you guys, too. You both look really good."

Rocky grinned. "Yeah well, we stay pretty busy, which is probably a good thing the way I cook." He grinned at Jason. "It's really good to see you again, bro. We've missed having you around."

Ducking his head, Jason laughed softly. "I'm sorry man, not laughing at you, I promise." At the questioning looks he was getting, the former Gold Ranger explained. "I have a big yellow Lab at home and the way Rocky cocked his head just now reminded me of him." He chuckled softly. "Whose name happens to be Rocky."

Tommy laughed too. "You're right, he does remind me of the other Rocky."

"You have a lab named Rocky? That's crazy. Did you name him after this fool?" Adam asked, indicating his boyfriend.

Blushing hard, the doctor nodded. "Yeah I did." He was quiet for a moment. "He's loyal to a fault and is always there." Meeting the eyes of the young man that replaced him, Jason felt himself relax. "Kind of like you, man."

It was Rocky's turn to blush as he ducked his head. "Yeah well, I guess it's okay then." He grinned. "Come on, let's go sit down and talk a bit, catch up on the past few years."

"Sounds good, let's go," Tommy said, placing a supportive hand on Jason's back.

"So, Tommy...why haven't you called lately?" Adam asked, delighting in giving his friend a bit of hell for his absence.

Tom lowered his head for a moment. "Well, you know how it is for me during the school year, and since I got so unceremoniously dumped, I just haven't felt very social," he replied.

Snorting, the former Ape shook his head. "Sometimes I'm really glad that Aisha and I didn't work out. There are times I just don't get women, you know?"

"Oh yeah, I know. Personally, I've sworn off women. I've had it," Tom said, more than a little bitterness evident in his voice.

Reaching out instinctively, Jason put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Totally with you there, bro." He looked over at Rocky and Adam. "So, Tom told me that you two hooked up and I have to admit, it kind of shocked me." He ducked his head a bit. "Wouldn't mind letting an absent friend know how it happened would you?"

With a grin, Rocky shook his head. "Let's just say that I told Adam that we both needed to just give up women and get together. Then I had to stop him from choking to death on the steak he'd taken a bite of."

"He just laid it all out on the table and nearly choked me to death in the process," Adam laughed. "But ya know, he was right. It was time we just quit kidding ourselves and got together."

"So just like that?" Jason asked, watching the other two as he started relaxing next to his best friend.

Rocky shrugged. "Well, Adam and I had fooled around a little bit both before and after we became Rangers. So it wasn't like it was a totally new idea to either one of us." He met Jason's eyes. "It was just that neither one of us had really sat down and taken the time to figure out what the other meant to them."

Under the table, Tommy placed a hand on Jason's thigh. "Yeah, I hear ya, bro. Sometimes what you need is right in your face, huh?"

The second Red Ranger nodded. "That it is." He grinned after laying his hand on top of the hand Adam had resting on the table. "Of course, my momma always said that Adam and I should just quit playing around with girls and move in together." He blushed hard. "When we did tell her, she literally slammed our heads together and then said a few choice words that I'm not gonna repeat."

Snorting softly, Jason nodded. "My dad told us that he could only ever really see me with Tommy after he accepted the fact that I was gay."

Adam's eyebrow rose slowly. "Ummm, does that mean that you two are together? Have you been holdin' out on us, Tom?" he asked with a big grin.

The former Ranger Commander looked at Jason and then back toward Adam and Rocky. "Well...we're talking about it. I mean, he still lives in Seattle and I'm in Reefside. If we're gonna be together, somebody's gonna have to move and I'm not sure where doc here wants to live," he grinned.

"Seattle?" Adam asked.

"No wait...'doc'?" Rocky queried with both eyebrows raised.

Nodding his head, the former Gold Ranger relaxed the rest of the way. "Yeah, I'm a doctor at New Hope Medical Center in Seattle. I've been there since the Red mission where I ran out on Tom instead of meeting him for drinks."

"A real, honest to goodness doctor? Not a fake one like Falcon here?" Rocky asked, making a face at Tommy.

"Hey! I resent that! It took me a long time to become Dr. Oliver," Tommy argued.

Laughing, Jason nodded. "Nope, I'm a real doctor. My patients generally come in alive and some threaten to sue no matter what you do." He reached out and squeezed Tommy's hand. "Unlike our esteemed Rainbow Brite that has to go hunt his 'patients' down."

Adam giggled. "Rainbow Brite...that's awesome," he said, making a face at Tommy when he acted insulted.

With a grin, Rocky nodded. "Gotta say it suits him and it's better than Christmas tree."

"Okay, okay...what is it, 'pick on Tommy day'? And yeah, I have to dig up my 'patients', but I get a lot less trouble outta mine than you do yours. Mine don't mouth off," he laughed. Not wanting to dignify the 'Christmas tree' comment, Tom merely flipped Rocky off and turned away.

Jason nodded. "True, but at the same time I don't ride my patients."

"I should hope not," Tommy said to Jason. "You couldn't afford the malpractice." He turned back to the chuckling Adam and Rocky. "So, let's eat while the sandwiches are still warm. Mama Scott packed them for us."

"Ooooh, Mama Scott's cooking? This is gonna be goooood!" Adam said, rubbing his hands together.

Across the table a soft rumble made three of the young men raise eyebrows while the fourth just turned a shade darker than the spandex he used to wear. "What?" Rocky asked. "When have you known me to turn down food, especially good food I didn't have to cook?"

Shaking his head, Jason laughed softly. "Don't ever change, Rock... whatever you do, don't ever change."

Rocky shook his head, blushing slightly as Jason finished telling them how he'd come to name his older Lab 'Rocky'. "Man, I still can't believe you named a dog after me." Finishing off the rest of the tea Mrs. Scott had sent, he grinned. "You guys should come back to the house for dinner. I'll whip up some enchiladas and tacos, plus we can snack on some fresh guacamole, salsa, and queso."

"Green chilies or red chilies on the enchiladas?" Tom asked, putting down his cup.

The Hispanic snorted. "Green man, what are you, a wimp? Besides, I just roasted a batch of green chili last weekend." He winked. "Makes it all fresh and good."

"Mmmmm, sounds good," he said with a smile, rubbing his stomach. "Whatcha think, Rex? Want some killer homemade mexican/spanish food?"

For a few moments, Jason fiddled with his cup before looking over at his friends and nodding. "Sounds like a plan to me." He grinned. "Gotta admit, hanging out with you guys has been pretty good so far."

"Great! It's been really good to see you again. Hopefully you won't stay away so long from here on out. Angel Grove is your home, after all," Adam said, trying to help Jason feel comfortable.

"So let's get this stuff cleaned up and we can take a walk or something. I need it after all that food," Tommy offered with a chuckle. He wanted to get Adam off by himself for a couple of moments to get a phone number from him and maybe make some plans.

Standing up to help, Jason moved a bit too fast and winced as his ribs pulled a bit, making him sit back down. "Damn, forgot not to do that."

"You okay, Jason?" Adam asked, noticing that he was grimacing a bit.

Blushing slightly, the doctor nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." He chuckled softly at the look the other two were giving him. "I'll tell you the story at dinner, okay? I promise."

"Yeah, it's an interesting story," Tommy added. "Jase, why don't you just sit and rest those ribs while we take this stuff to the car. Me and Adam can make it on our own," he said, smiling over at the former Green Zeo Ranger.

"Sure can. Then we can all take a little walk if everyone wants to," Adam responded.

Rocky nodded. "Yeah, let those two do the lugging. You sit there and rest while I pack up the rest of the stuff here." He looked over at Adam, nodding. "Work for you?"

"Oh yeah, that's cool," Adam answered, getting the feeling that Tommy wanted to talk to him about something.

"All right then," Jason stated. Relaxing again, he looked at his best friend. "I grabbed a couple of those light painkillers before we left. Mind getting me one out of my bag?"

"Sure, no problem." Tom got the medicine and handed it to his friend and then picked up the cooler and started toward the car with Adam following.

"Slow down, Granddaddy long legs," Adam said with a chuckle, trying to catch up. Once he did, the former Frog looked up at his tall friend. "So...I get the feeling you wanted to talk to me."

"Yep. Do you have Kim's phone number? I'm gonna call her and see if she'll meet me. We can get Rocky to say he needs some things from the store and while you go do that, I'll meet her and give her a piece of my mind."

Adam nodded. "Well, us having to go to the store won't be a lie. I know for a fact that we're outta tomatoes and a few other things that we'll need for dinner." He shook his head. "I'm in, but it's hard for me to believe that she'd turn her back on Jason like that." He stopped next to the car the two doctors had pulled up in. "I mean, from what you told us, they pretty much grew up together."

"They did. I didn't come along until we were all 15 or so, but Jason, Billy, Kim, and Zach literally grew up together. That's part of what makes it so bad," Tom answered, his voice growing stern.

"It's bullshit is what it is." Shaking his head, Adam helped Tom put the items in the back of the car. "So yeah, I'm all for helping you out, bro."

"Good. I'll ask her to meet me down by the waterfall-I still remember how to get there. It shouldn't take long," he said without a note of humor in his voice.

"There's a parking area really close, too. So it won't look too suspicious if there's not a car there when she pulls up."

"Okay and I'll call you when I'm done so you can pick me up. Now, you got that number?"

Chuckling softly, Adam pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to him. "Figured you might want it sooner or later."

Tom shook his head. "Thanks, man. This should be interesting," he said, pulling out his cell and dialing the number. When a female voice answered, he said, "Kim? That you?" in his sweetest voice.

The brunette frowned for a moment before her face split in a wide smile. "Tommy? Is that you? Oh my God! It's so good to hear from you."

He chuckled. "Hey there-yeah, it's me. How ya doin'?"

"I'm doing pretty good. Staying busy with all the kids out of school." She rolled her eyes while playing with a strand of hair. "People seem to think that a gymnastics center is an expensive daycare. Drives me up the wall sometimes, but there are a few days that it's worth it. What about you?"

"Well, you know I'm teaching science at Reefside High School, right?"

"I think I saw something on the TV that reminded me of some old times with you." She grinned. "Still looked pretty good, Handsome."

"Thanks. So listen, I'm in Angel Grove for the day. Would you like to meet up somewhere and talk for a bit?" He made faces at Adam while he spoke.

Adam covered his mouth with a hand and shook his head, trying hard not to be heard through the phone.

A blush flew over her face. "Yeah, sure. My last class will be over in about 40 minutes and I can meet you somewhere then. Just tell me where."

"Great! Hmmm... well, you remember the waterfall in the park? How 'bout there?"

"Of course I remember it." Kim smiled softly. "It's where you asked me out to our first dance. I'll meet you there as soon as my class is over. Talk to you later, Tiger."

"Alright, sounds good. So I'll see you in about an hour then. Bye," he responded in the kindest, softest voice he could manage.

Once his friend had hung up, Adam clapped his hands. "Man, that deserved an Academy Award or something."

Tommy took an abbreviated bow and then shot Adam a small evil grin. "Ya know, I would normally feel guilty for misleading someone like that, but...she's got this comin'."

"I know what you mean, bro." He grinned. "Come on, let's get back up there before one of them gets into trouble."

"Hmmm? How are they gonna get in trouble just sitting there?" Tom asked as they started back toward the pavilion.

Adam turned and punched him in the arm. "Are you seriously asking that question? Did you totally forget about the time Rocky fell off a bench 'just sitting there' and had to get six stitches in the back of his head?"

"Well, if it should come to that, at least we've got a doctor around," he laughed. "And he does good work with stitches, I'm tellin' ya."

"I get the feeling that has a story to go along with it." Putting a hand on Tom's shoulder, the younger man gave it a squeeze. "Glad you're here bro, and I'm really happy that you brought Jason with you."

"Oh yeah, there's a story. It's part of the one we'll tell you over dinner." He paused and smiled at his younger friend. "It's good to be here again. Sorry I haven't been real good about visiting."

"Yeah well, at least bringing Jason with you makes up for it a bit." He was quiet for a moment. "I get the feeling that Jase was in kind of a bad spot."

Tom sighed heavily. "Yeah he was, Adam. Don't tell him I told you this, but...I hardly recognized him at first and then when I got to talk to him...it was like he was a different person. Treated me almost like a stranger." He shook his head, beginning to look increasingly sad. "I thought I'd really lost him for good."

The Asian was silent for several moments. "We'll get him through this Tom, I promise. Hell, if nothing else Rocky and I can go up to Seattle and kidnap the big lug, bring him up to Reefside for ya." He gave his friend a quick hug. "We're here for both of you."

"Oooh, a Ninjetti mission?" he asked with a grin. "He's still pretty fierce, so I'd be careful. Besides, Rocky might bite Rocky...Cole will just lick you to death," he laughed. "And thanks, I really appreciate that."

"You're welcome, Falcon." He chuckled softly. "Maybe by the time you guys get back from your little vacation, things between you will have worked out a bit better and we can get Rex to move back."

"That'd be nice, but I'm being cautiously optimistic. We'll see what he wants to do once we've worked a few things out. Maybe I could get him to move to Reefside or even Silver Hills if Angel Grove is still too uncomfortable for him."

Adam nodded. "Silver Hills would be a good place. Rock and I have looked at a couple places over there. He really wants to get a restaurant of his own going and they've got a couple of possible locations."

"Awesome! Free food!" the former White Ranger chuckled. "Hey, any idea if Eric Myers and Wes Collins are still there? Last I knew, they were the co-commanders of the Silver Guardians."

Adam blushed softly. "Yeah, they're still around. Got a ticket from them for speeding before they realized who I was."

"Oh crap. The big boys pulling traffic duty? Must've been a slow day," Tommy laughed.

"From what I gathered, they do it just to get out of the office at times." He shook his head as they came to a stop close to the pavilion. "Why does that not surprise me?" The second Black Ranger pointed at the other two men, who were stretched out on either side of the table they'd been sitting at and apparently were sleeping."

Tom shook his head while rolling his eyes. "Doesn't surprise me at all. So, I guess we're not going for a walk after all," he smiled.

"We're not asleep." Jason stated, sitting up slowly. "Or at least I'm not."

Tom was a bit startled, but he recovered quickly. "Adam, wake your boy toy up and let's go see how the park has changed."

The former Black Ranger shook his head and went over to where Rocky was sacked out. "Hey Rock-wake up, man. We're going for a walk now." He shook the man slightly and grinned.

Stretching, the former Ape started to roll over a moment before his brain reminded him that he wasn't at home in bed. "Oompf." He blinked a few times while looking down at the now-flattened gym bag that they'd brought in case blankets were needed to sit on had the pavilion been occupied. Getting slowly to his feet, he blushed red and pointed a finger at Adam. "Aisha does _not_ hear about this one!"

Tommy and Jason were standing by laughing. "Any stitches required this time? Jase can fix ya right up!" Tom chuckled.

With a shake of his head, the other man looked over at them. "No, I landed on the bag I brought. Only has a couple of blankets in it as a standby in case this place was taken." He stretched his arms and winced a bit before looking at his elbow. "Well, and a bit less skin on my elbow, but it's okay for now."

"You'll live, let's go walk," Adam replied. He knew that Tommy had a "date" to keep in a little less than an hour and they needed to get things underway. "Why don't we head down by the creek? They've added a new playground and a few new statues over that way."

Chuckling softly, Jason nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me." He looked over at Rocky. "When we get back to your place, I'll clean it up for you." The doctor sniggered again. "I'm sorry, but that was such a Cole move."

"Yep, that it was," Tom laughed. Together, they all set out to burn off some of their lunch and to just talk a little more. "Wow, this place brings back sooo many memories," the former White Ranger said.

"Oh yeah." Moving closer to his friend, the first Red Ranger reached out to take hold of his friend's hand. "I don't know how many times we were attacked in this place or used it to train or just hang out."

"You think we woulda learned to stay outta here, but no...we couldn't take a hint," Tom said with a chuckle. "But there were some good times too, you're right. Hasn't changed too terribly much, has it?"

Rocky shook his head. "Couple years ago they tried to close it down and turn this into a subdivision, but a parents committee at the school got it stopped before it was pretty much anything more than a thought."

"That was a crazy idea anyway. Whoever proposed that must've been smokin' something," Adam added.

"No kidding," the former Gold Ranger stated. "I mean, kids and families need a place to go besides a lake, beach or something where they have to pay. The park is great for family or friends to hang out and just have fun at no cost." He shook his head.

Wandering along, they eventually came to the new playground and stood there for a minute, watching the kids. "Must be nice to be that carefree. I can't remember what that was like, can any of you?" Tommy asked.

"I can't. My innocence pretty much stopped at about 15 when this floating head from outer space gave me a spandex suit and told me to help save the world," Adam remarked.

Rocky snorted. "I hear ya. Add to that, you find out you're replacing a really great guy who was best friends with your new leader… That was a lot to take in."

Jason blushed. "Trust me Rocky, I wouldn't have agreed to the power transfer if I didn't think you could handle it." He sighed softly. "At least you guys didn't have to put the lives of people you'd grown up with on the line." He watched a couple of kids playing on the jungle gym. "It was really hard at first to do that and then this guy shows up to kick all our asses." With a grin, he bumped into Tommy.

"Starting with yours, if you remember." Tom smiled. "That little match that we had wasn't a true test."

"Yeah well, you kind of threw me." He grinned. "Actually gave me some competition which I hadn't had in a long time."

"I remember seeing the tape of that match. You did look a bit surprised there, Rex," Adam laughed.

The former Ape snorted. "A bit? Jase looked like someone had stolen his favorite karate trophy and a pan of his mom's lasagna from right in front of him."

"Well, like I said...I hadn't had any real competition in a while and I'd never seen this guy before that day," Jason said, giving Tommy's hand a squeeze. "We've had some good times sparring since then."

Watching them both, Rocky grinned. "Come on, if we don't get back soon, I'll never get the enchiladas done in time."

Tommy looked down at his watch. "Yeah, that's true. Let's start back." He smiled over at Jason, seeing that the man seemed calm and happy.

Adam and Rocky walked behind the other two as they changed direction. "Hmmm, you think you might need some things from the store for dinner?" he asked, giving his boyfriend a wink and a "just go along with it" look.

For once, the other man was quick to catch on. "Oh yeah, I know that I do. We're definitely going to need some more tomatoes, sour cream, and a couple more packs of tortillas. That way I can make some fresh chips to go with the queso." He went over a list in his head. "And coffee, preferably something from that little cafe next to the store to go with dessert."

"Okay, I thought we might be running low on tomatoes. Hey Tommy, wanna go with me to the store while Jase takes care of Rocky's little mishap?" Adam said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, if it's okay with Rex." He turned to his best friend. "Whatcha think? Mind if I go to the store with Adam?"

Looking over at his best friend, Jason nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I can help Rocky in the kitchen if he needs it after I clean up his arm."

"You sure? I won't go if you don't want me to," Tom responded, trying to reassure him.

Coming to a stop, the doctor stepped in front of the former Ranger Commander. "Tom, I'm okay with it, I promise." He put his hands on Tom's waist. "I'll be fine with Rocky."

"Okay, just wanted to make sure. Shouldn't be gone long anyway," he answered.

Once they got back to the pavilion, the pairs split up with Jason going to Adam and Rocky's house with the former Blue Zeo Ranger and Tommy riding with Adam over to the waterfall.

"Okay, just drop me off here and get what we need from the store. I'll call you when I'm done or you can just come back and park here." He paused and took a deep breath. "This should be interesting."

"Yeah, I can't wait to hear about it," Adam chuckled. "I'll be back in probably half an hour or so. Just call if you need me, okay?"

"Cool-I'll be fine. I just hope I don't completely lose my temper with her. It's a possibility," Tom said, opening the car door.

"Hey, just remember you need to go back to Jason tonight or it's liable to send him back into the state you found him. That might keep you from outright killing her so that I have to help you hide the body." He paused. "Don't wanna have to bail you out, but...I will," the former Green Zeo Ranger said with a big smile. "Be back in a bit."

With that, Tom got out and closed the door, stepping back while Adam pulled out of the parking spot. He looked around to see if there were any other cars in the lot but didn't notice any. _'Guess I'll walk down to the falls,'_ he thought and set off in that direction.

In his mind, he made a few decisions about what he would say and how he was going to handle this. Tommy knew that once he saw the girl who had been his first love his resolve might slip a little, but the outrage he felt at how she had treated his best friend would hopefully take over. He arrived at the waterfall and, seeing no one around, began to just gaze out at the bubbling water and relive some old memories.

After pulling into the empty parking lot, Kim checked her make-up and hair over before getting out of the car. She was a few minutes late because she'd stopped by her house to change. The sweatpants and T-shirt that she'd been wearing at the gym just wouldn't do for this kind of meeting. So she had changed into a soft pink halter top and white capris that proved she still had her youthful figure. Slightly heeled, white sandals adorned her feet as she started down the path towards the waterfall and was reminded of having to search out the man she was going to meet one time before in this very spot.

After several minutes, the former Ranger Commander looked around again to see if he saw anyone. It was then that he spotted someone walking toward him, though they were still several yards away. It looked to be a teenage girl, but something about her told Tommy that it was Kim. He had spent too much time in his younger days watching her not to have noticed a few distinguishing characteristics. He tried to relax and act casual as she got closer, though he felt his heart speed up just a bit.

As her former boyfriend came into sight, Kim could feel her heart speeding up as her breath caught. She didn't have to touch the muscled arms or bulging thighs to realize that the man before her had a rock hard body. The tight, black, 'wife beater' tank that was visible under the dark green shirt that was opening and sliding a little off of one shoulder did that. The closer she got, the more that was revealed to the former pink ranger. Color was visible and it took her a moment to realize that Tommy had tattoos and a lot of them. _'Wonder where all those tattoos go.'_ Kim blushed slightly at the thought and ducked her head a little as she came to a stop in front of the man before her. _'Damn, I wonder what those thighs or those hands would feel like on me. It's been so long since I've felt like this with anyone.'_ She gave the former Falcon a soft smile. _'Wonder if he'd be interested in renewing our relationship, at least for the night.'_ She was silent for a moment as her soft brown eyes roamed over the man in front of her before meeting his warm, chocolate ones. "Hey Tommy." Taking a chance, she leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey there," he said, leaning over to let her kiss him. _'Damn, I'd forgotten how tiny she is,' _he thought. He didn't kiss her back, but placed a hand on her arm. "Good to see you again-you haven't changed a bit," he said, flashing a genuine smile at her. "How've you been?"

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she gave a slight shrug. "I've been good, staying busy, but that's part of the reason I came back to Angel Grove. What about you? Besides teaching science way up there in Reefside."

"Way up there? It's not that far-about an hour and a half. But I haven't been up to much lately. Just been teaching, doing a little research here and there, working out-that sorta thing. I came down here today to hang out with Adam and Rocky for a bit."

"Well, an hour and a half is a long time when you're constantly on the go for one thing or another." She laughed softly. "I haven't seen those two in a little bit. Their dojo is across town from my school and I live nearby." Flashing him a soft smile, she put a hand on his arm. "You've certainly filled out from the last time I saw you, Handsome."

He smiled. "Yeah, I guess I have. Probably put on 30 pounds or so."

"Well, it definitely looks good on you." Nodding towards a bench that had been installed by the waterfall, she took a seat. "I'm glad that you called."

"I guess I just wanted to talk to you-it's been a while, ya know? I need to catch up with my old friends. I think it's important," he said, trying to lead into what he wanted to talk about in the first place.

"Especially old friends that you can talk to about saving the world." She laughed softly before sighing. "I miss just being able to hang out with everyone."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he chuckled. "Only certain people you can discuss that sorta thing with." He paused and gathered his thoughts. "So you said you haven't seen Adam or Rocky lately. Anybody you have kept up with?"

"I see Zach a lot, but that's because he teaches dance next door to me. Aisha and I talk at least once a week." She was quiet for a moment. "Oh, and I email Jason regularly, but that's about it. Billy's somewhere and I'm not sure how to contact him."

"Really?" He felt his teeth clench when she lied about Jason, wondering how many other lies she'd told. "I've talked to Billy in the last month or so. Think he's living in Silver Hills now. So how has Jason been? Where's he living now, anyway?" he asked, watching her face closely.

"He's doing good. If I remember right, he's living in Colorado." The petite brunette flashed him a smile. "Did you know that he's a cop?" Inside, she was rolling her eyes. _'So what if I'm lying? It's not like any of us will ever see that fag around here again. I still cannot believe he lied to us like that, but as close as he and Tommy were, I'm going to keep my mouth shut. I'd hate to see the memory of their friendship tarnished.'_

"A cop? Wow...but I guess it's not that much of a surprise. He was always about taking care of people. I might have to go to Colorado and look him up," he chuckled, but there was really no humor in it. He decided to see how deep she would dig the hole she was already in. "Bet you miss some of those guys. I mean, you grew up with them after all."

"Yeah, I do. Jason was the ultimate big brother and it's weird to not be able to go over to his house when I need to talk to him. Zach's great, but it's just not the same as talking to Jason."

"From what I remember, he felt the same way about you guys. It was tough being the new kid on the block back then." He was reaching his breaking point, but was trying to keep his feelings from showing on his face. Long years of having to lie concerning his Ranger activities had given him a fairly good 'poker face'.

"I have to admit that we were all a little shocked that Jason welcomed you into the group so quick." She blushed a bit. "Especially after all that you'd done." Reaching out, she rested a hand on his leg. "But I'm really glad that he did." She gave the tight thigh a squeeze. "So what about you? Who do you keep in touch with besides Adam and Rocky?"

The 'after all that you'd done' comment stung a bit, but he didn't want to get into that right now. "Well, like I said, I talk to Billy every now and then but that's about it. Well, up until about three weeks ago, that is. You'll never guess who I ran into," he baited her, giving her his best smile.

Tucking the loose strand of hair back behind her ear, Kim gave him her best smile. "Oh? Who did you run into in Reefside?"

"Well actually it wasn't in Reefside. See, after my last girlfriend dumped me-my luck runs that way, ya know-I decided to take a little road trip and kinda clear my head some. So as soon as school let out for the summer, I hopped in my jeep and took off. While I was in Seattle, I ran smack into Jason." He said his friend's name slowly and sternly while locking eyes with her.

When he had first started speaking, Kim got a bad feeling that something was going to happen. The way his voice changed and his posture stiffened slightly, the gymnast just knew that something was up. When he spoke about Seattle and said Jason's name, she could feel her heart plummet. Paling slightly, she tried to play it off. "I guess he was up there for some sort of convention. I'm glad that you two got a chance to talk." Her insides were shaking, wondering exactly what the Original Red Ranger had said to the other man.

"No Kim, it wasn't a convention. He lives there. He's a doctor-not a cop-but you would know that since you email him regularly, right? You must've been thinking of some other Jason you grew up with." He paused and took a deep breath. "Tell you what: why don't you tell me what happened the last time you saw him and I'll decide then whether to ever again believe a word that comes outta your mouth." He trained those big eyes on her suspiciously, waiting to see if she tried to lie her way out of this too.

The former Crane's hand shook slightly as she pulled it back into her lap. Kim knew that she was caught, but that didn't stop her from trying to get out of her web of lies. "I'm sorry that I lied to you Tommy, but I just didn't want you to think bad of Jason." She let the memory of how she felt letting go of Tommy flow through her and as it brought tears to her eyes, she looked up a bit at him through hooded lashes. "The last time I saw Jason, he got pretty rough with me. Told me that I had really hurt you when I broke up with you and that I didn't deserve someone like you. Jason said that now he'd realized he was bi, maybe he could make you happy unlike me being the slut I was." She let a few tears fall. "And he was squeezing my arm so hard and shaking me that I slapped him to get him to let me go. He was really scaring me."

He'd be lying if he said that seeing her cry didn't bother him a little. It did, but he knew that what she was saying was crap. _'Jason never would've admitted to her how he felt about me-and he wouldn't've said he was bi when he wasn't. She's full of shit.' _

"Hmmm, that's interesting that you say that. Jason isn't bi, he's gay. And he never grabbed you or shook you-Jase would never do that." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I've spent the last three weeks with the man and we've talked about all sorts of things including why he suddenly vanished from everyone's lives. He came to you-the person he considered to be the little sister he never had-and confided in you something that was very hard for him to admit, much less talk about. And how did you repay his trust? You slapped him and walked away. You turned your back on a man who had never done a mean or hateful thing to you. He saved your life countless times, not to mention defended you at school from people you didn't want around you. That was a pretty shitty way to repay him for all of that, don'tcha think? You have no idea-none whatsoever-how bad you hurt him. I really don't think there's any excuse you can make to justify that." He got up and walked a few steps away, not wanting to look at her at the moment.

Knowing that she couldn't get out of this, she rose to her feet. "He lied to me, Tommy. To all of us! How are you going to stand there and defend that? I mean, come on, do you honestly believe that he just woke up one day and said 'I'm gay, let me go tell everyone'. You know it doesn't work that way. So that means he lied to us all and that includes the women he dated." She snorted. "Which makes it pretty easy to understand why Emily dropped him like a hot potato."

"No, he didn't wake up one day and decide he was gay, nor did he know it all along and supposedly lie to everyone. Sometimes it takes a while to realize things like that. I'm bi-did you know that? And that was not something that I just decided one day nor did I lie to you when we were dating. I came to accept that about myself after years of trying to figure out why I felt certain things. It's the same with him." He was really trying to keep his temper in check, but she was pushing the envelope further and further.

Kim's own temper started to rise. "You know, maybe it is a good thing that you flunked my little test all those years ago. I mean, what the hell Tommy? Were you looking at guys when the two of us were dating? Or did that happen after the fact?" She snorted. "Maybe me sending that letter really was for the best."

"Oh yeah, it was definitely for the best. You're not listening to a damn word I'm saying, are you? And I didn't come here to talk about how you cut my heart out that day-that's way past talking about. I want to know why you felt it necessary to severely hurt a man that you grew up with over something like his orientation. Why did it matter or why does it matter still? You didn't want him and he didn't want you-you were just friends. Well, I say that, but maybe you weren't really his friend-I can't see how a true friend could hurt someone like that."

"And he didn't hurt me? What am I supposed to tell people Tommy? How does it look to prospective parents or my students if I'm friends with someone that went around most of their life pretending they were straight only to find out that it was nothing but a lie." She shook her head. "You know, I'm glad that I told Zach." A smirk came over her face. "Should have heard what all he called fag boy." Kim took a step back from the man in front of her. "Lose my number, Tommy. Frankly, I could care less what happens to Jason anymore. I thought I knew him, but the person I knew doesn't exist anymore and I wonder if it ever really did."

"You know something? I finally, truly see you for what you are. You talk about other people masquerading as something they're not? You're just as guilty as what you think they are. And you don't have to worry about me calling you or bothering you any more-won't happen, I promise. I don't want to even be acquaintances with someone as cold-hearted and self-centered as you. You're manipulative and just plain mean and you'll probably end up a lonely, bitter old woman...and you won't have anyone to blame but yourself! Goodbye, Kim." With that, he walked away from her, teeth and fists clenched. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that if he didn't get out of there, he was going to do something that he shouldn't.

Kim let him finish before she shook her head and walked away. She didn't understand him and wondered if she ever really had. _'Breaking up with him really was for the best. Maybe Gina was right after all about sending that letter as a test.'_ Climbing into her car, she pulled out of the parking lot. _'Maybe I should call Tanner and see if he wants to go out tonight.'_

As Adam approached the park, he spotted Tommy coming over a hill. Pulling into the nearest parking spot, the former Frog got out and started towards his friend. He could tell just from Tommy's body language that he was pissed. "Hey man, take it things went bad?"

Tom turned his narrowed eyes on Adam. "Yeah. You could say that." He stood there trying to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "That lying, miserable little bitch...I must've been out of my mind to ever care about her."

"Sometimes I wonder if what happened with Maligore didn't change her, but then I remember all the times that she was under a spell or something and that changed how she acted." He cocked his head a bit. "Makes you wonder which was the real Kim." He sighed. "Anyway, it's over, bro. You're not going to have to worry about her anymore." Adam clapped his hands together. "So where to next?"

"Zach," was all he said, still looking like he could chew nails. He walked around and got into Adam's car silently. It was obvious that he was planning something.

Nodding, the second Black Ranger climbed back into the car. _'How much money do I have in savings again? Because I might need some bail money.' _Once on the way to his predecessor's house, Adam kept quiet. He was extremely grateful that almost everyone that Rocky and he had come out to had been supportive of them. A few had some problems with it at first, but even most of them had come around by now. It just amazed him at times how closed-minded some people could be.

It wasn't far to Zach's apartment from the park and Tommy spent the time trying to calm himself down a little and decide what to say to the first Black Ranger. _'Can't go in there like a house on fire-I won't get anything out of him that way,'_ he thought.

Slowing down, Adam made the turn into the complex Zach lived in and made his way to the correct building. "He's in apartment G18 and the last I knew, he didn't have any neighbors to worry about."

"Don't worry...I just wanna talk to him for a minute. Be right back," he said, climbing out of the car and heading for the apartment door. Once he got there, he took a deep breath and tried to put a more pleasant look on his face. He knocked on the door when he felt ready.

Frowning slightly, Zach got up and went to the door. He wasn't expecting anyone and the pizza had already arrived. With a shrug, he opened the door without checking to see who it was through the peephole. He was shocked when he saw who it was on the other side. "Tommy? What the hell, man? When did you get into town?"

"Yesterday. May I come in for a minute?" the former Ranger Commander asked.

"Yeah, sure." Stepping back, the former Black Ranger let his friend inside. "It's been years, man, but you're looking really good. So what do you do?"

"I teach high school science in Reefside. I hear you teach dance here in town," Tom said, attempting to make a little small talk.

"I've actually got a dance school close to Kim." He grinned. "You should stop by and see her while you're in town."

"Funny you should say that. I just left the park where I was talking to her. She told me quite a few interesting things." He paused for a moment. "So tell me...what happened the last time you saw Jason?" He fixed his piercing gaze on Zach, wanting an answer and wanting it right then.

Folding his arms over his chest, the shorter man met his friend's eyes. "Jason? Is that what this is about?" He shook his head. "I haven't talked to Jason in years. And the last time I saw him, I slammed the door in his face without giving him the chance to even lie to me." The dancer paused and took a deep breath. "You know, it's one thing to come out and tell someone you're gay or bi, but to do it and tell one of your best friends that he got something from a former boyfriend that she was never going to get, that was just low. I mean, Trini finally got why Kim dumped you while we were in Switzerland, but before we could tell Jason, he'd returned to the States. Maybe if we had, he wouldn't have hooked up with Nick or tried to date you."

"What the hell are you talking about? Jason supposedly got _what_ from _who_? You're not making any sense."

Rolling his eyes, Zach explained. "Kim dated this guy Nick a few months before you got to Angel Grove, but broke up with him before that tournament. Anyway, after that whole tournament for that orphanage, Jason told Kim that he was gay and supposedly had been dating Nick. From what Kim told me, Jason also admitted that he had the hots for you and was going to make a play to see if he could land, as he called you, 'the bad ass Ranger'. She slapped him, left and called me. When Jason showed up on my doorstep, I was so pissed at him for that, I didn't even let him talk and slammed the door in his face." He shivered. "Besides, if what she said is true, thinking about all the times I caught him staring in my direction, made me wonder what he was really looking at, you know?"

"That is nothing but a pack of lies. Kim lied through her teeth to you and you bought it hook, line, and sinker. Jason never dated anyone named Nick and he would never have said anything about his feelings for me to Kim. That's bullshit. I have spent the last three weeks with the man and we've talked over a lot of things-most notably how bad he was hurt by people he grew up with and thought he could trust. You know how manipulative Kim can be...why would you just trust her like that when it came to Jason?" Tommy stood there with his hands on his hips, not budging from the spot.

"Why wouldn't I, Tommy? I grew up with Kim, helped her deal with things when her parents divorced, and was there for her when you didn't answer any of her letters or return her calls. So why wouldn't I believe her?" Zach took a step closer. "As for being manipulative, Kim's been through a lot in her life." He was quiet for a moment. "And she didn't lie about everything, did she? I mean, you are with Jason, right?" He shook his head and smirked. "You two deserve each other."

"Oh, so now you're attacking _me_? What the hell did _I _do to you, Zach? And no, I'm not with him-I'm his friend. When I found him in Seattle I hardly recognized him and when I finally got to talk to him, he treated me like a stranger. He was afraid that I was going to do to him what you and Kim had done to him." Tommy growled slightly. "He treated you like a brother, saved your ass more times than you can count, and was there for all of you when you needed him. It's no wonder that he was nearly suicidal by the time I found him. You helped cause that-I hope you're happy with yourself."

Shaking his head, Zach took a step towards the door. "And you're over-exaggerating shit again. Jason would never commit suicide and you know it. He's got too much going for him. Now, before I forget to be the gentleman that my mom raised me to be, I think you should leave."

"You just don't want to admit that you did anything wrong. I'm telling you, Zach-he was and is still in such a depressed state that I'm not sure if he'll ever get out of it. But don't worry, okay? _I'll_ help him through it-_I_ know how to be a real friend to someone. And since he isn't here to do it himself..." he broke off speaking and with his characteristic lightning speed, landed a crushing cross punch to Zach's jaw. "That's for Jason. Dance that off, asshole," he spat, looming over the laid out former Black Ranger. He turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him hard enough to break the frame. "Motherfucker...I shoulda hit him again," he mumbled to himself as he walked toward Adam's car rubbing his knuckles.

Zach laid there stunned before glancing at the closed door. _'What the hell?'_ Slowly, he got up and went to the kitchen for an ice pack. The dancer went back into the living room and laid on the couch, more confused than when he'd first been told by Kim that Jason was gay. _'Who the hell do I believe now?'_

Adam was on the verge of going after his friend when he spotted Tommy coming back towards the car. Starting it up, the former Frog had it going before his former leader even got settled properly. "So how'd it go?"

"Oh, it went just fine. Ya know, I'm glad he and Kim are friends-they deserve each other."

"I'm not gonna have to worry about the cops showing up am I?"

"Don't know. I guess that depends on how much of a fuckin' gutless mama's boy he really is," Tom said, still rubbing his right hand.

Looking over at his friend, Adam frowned at the motion. "Please don't tell me you broke your hand hitting him."

"Awww no...my hand is harder than that. Guy always did have a glass jaw anyway. It's just a little sore," Tommy said, looking down at his red knuckles.

"Still, it'd probably be a good thing to put some ice on it when we get back." He was quiet for a moment. "How exactly are you gonna explain this to Jason?"

"Don't think it'll take any explaining. I've always had his back-that hasn't changed. They fucked my friend over and I took care of it. If I weren't a gentleman, I would've hit Kim too-she really deserved it. Stupid little bitch..." he trailed off, the veins in his neck standing out again at the very thought of her.

Coming to a stop at a light, Adam reached out and put a hand on the back of his friend's neck. "Easy Tom, don't let them get you upset. It's over and done with. Rocko and I will let Aisha know what happened. Then the rest of the gang will let Kim and Zach know exactly where they stand on the matter." Squeezing the former Falcon's neck one more time, Adam started driving again. "And once Billy hears about it, I don't know what's gonna happen. That is one man I don't _ever_ wanna get on the bad side of, you know?"

Tom had to laugh. "Oh yeah, I know! He seriously needs to be working for the government or something. He could screw up your medical records and your credit file on his lunch break."

"Lunch break? Try coffee break, bro." He laughed softly before going serious again. "I'm really glad that you got Jason to open up and talk to you. Just watching the difference in him from when you two first arrived until we left the park was pretty radical."

"Hmmm, yeah. You think _that_ was radical? You should've seen him when I first ran into him in Seattle. Completely different person-quiet, moody, defensive-he kept me at arm's length for a good week or more. If we hadn't both been healing from that fight and thrown together, I don't know that I ever could've gotten through to him," Tommy said, sounding very somber.

"I get the feeling that the story you're going to tell us tonight isn't a very pretty one." He was quiet for a moment. "I also think that telling it will help Jason a lot because I've got to be honest with you, from what you've told me so far, I could totally picture getting a message from Andros one day telling us the first Red was gone."

Tommy lowered his eyes and slowly shook his head. "I don't wanna think about that." He sighed and then made a confession to his friend. "I love him, Adam. He stirs stuff inside of me that I didn't know was there. Couldn't take it if I lost him now."

"Then you need to start thinking about how you're going to convince him to move back to California." Adam reached a hand out and laid it on his friend's leg, giving it a friendly squeeze. "We'll help you out with anything you need, Tom, but use this time you're going to have alone with Jason to really get the chance to know him again. You've both got years of memories without each other, experiences that have changed you both a bit from what you were like as teens. That way, you're building a foundation on new ideas and feelings, not memories you have of each other from the past."

"You ever finish that Psych course you were taking?" Tommy asked with a grin. "Seriously though, you're right and we've started on that process already. He's been talking to me much more over the last week and a half or so and we're learning each other again. I think we'll be okay, we just have to figure out a few things. Location being one of them, by the way."

A deep blush crept over the Asian. "Actually, I graduated a couple of days ago with my Bachelor's in Kinesiology. I'm taking my massage and sports therapy license exam next month."

"Really? That's awesome, bro." About this time, they pulled up in front of the apartment. "Wonder what the other two have been up to while we've been 'at the store'?" he grinned.

"Thanks man, took me long enough, but at least I got it done." He turned the car off and laughed. "Hopefully they got most of dinner done. Otherwise, it'll be close to midnight before we eat."

"Yeah, that's true. Let's get these groceries to Chef Rocky so he can work his magic," Tom said, picking up two of the plastic bags. Once they got inside, Adam announced their arrival as Tom took the items Rocky needed to him in the kitchen. "Here ya go, Apeman. See what you can do with this."

"Thanks, bro." Turning around with a spoon in hand, Rocky held out a bit of the queso he was working on. "Tell me if this needs any more spice?"

Tasting the offered sample, he savored it for a moment before passing judgment. "Maybe just a touch," he smiled. "So whadja do with Jason?"

He nodded towards the bedroom after adding a bit more green chili to the sauce and offering it to Tommy again. "Think we wore him out at the park or that pain pill you gave him works really well." At the Falcon's raised eyebrow, the other man sighed. "He helped me cut everything up, got the stuff going, and then wham! It was like he hit a brick wall. I told him to go lay down for a bit and that's been about half an hour."

Suddenly, Tommy became extremely concerned about his friend. "Okay, I'll go check on him," he said and moved quickly in that direction. Pushing the half-closed door open, he saw Jason stretched out on the king-sized bed, apparently sleeping peacefully. Tommy crept over and sat down lightly on the side of the bed. He checked Jason's forehead for fever and then stroked his hair a bit. "Hope you're okay, bro," he said in a low voice, more thinking aloud than anything else.

Sighing softly, Jason instinctively leaned into the touch. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find Tommy watching him worriedly. "Hey, you guys made it back."

"Oh yeah, no problems. Rock said you were helping him and then you suddenly ran out of gas. You okay?" he asked, still stroking the thick, black hair.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He gave the other man a grin. "Just a lot of emotions over the past couple of days, you know? It all caught up to me and being comfortable here…" He shrugged slightly. "I started falling asleep while helping Rocky make the enchiladas."

"Well, okay. I'm glad to hear you're feeling comfortable around Adam and Rocky. The food's really smelling good in there," he smiled. "Ready to get up?"

"Might need a hand getting back up, but yeah, I'm rested again." Reaching out, he grabbed the wife beater his friend was wearing and tugged at it until Tommy was closer to him. With a grin, Jason looked up at him. "Have I told you that you look absolutely edible today?" He ended his question with a long, slow kiss.

Once they parted, Tommy gave him his best model-worthy smile. "Edible, huh? I like that." He leaned in and planted another kiss on Jason's full lips. "Well nibble on me all you want, okay?" he chuckled.

"Might just do that, but not here." The Original Red Ranger grinned. "Rocky would never let either one of us live it down if he caught us making out in here."

Back in the kitchen, Adam walked over close to Rocky and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Dinner coming along okay?" he asked as he rubbed small circles on his lover's back.

"Oh yeah." He held up some of the queso. "Tommy told me it needed more spice, so I added just little. Think it's good?"

Adam tasted it and grinned. "Oh yeah, that's great," he said, licking his lips. "Man, I gotta tell you something..." the former Frog said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Does it have anything to do with why you guys were gone almost an hour when the store is less than ten minutes away?" He nodded. "Spill it, Froggy."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Actually, I went to the store alone. Our Fearless Leader not only took Kim down a few pegs in the park, but took Zach down in his own apartment. I didn't see either confrontation, but boy...I haven't seen that look in Tommy's eyes since we were fighting Zedd."

The second Red Ranger's eyebrows rose. "You're kidding me? Both of them? Just in the time you were gone? Holy crap, man."

"Yeah...he cussed Kim out and knocked Zach out in just about 45 minutes and that includes driving time. He was on a mission."

"Damn…wish I could have been there to see it."

"When he comes back in, look at his right hand. He's gonna be needin' some ice for those knuckles." Adam paused and looked to make sure the others weren't close by. "I asked him how he was going to explain this to Jason. He said something that is sooo Tommy. He said, 'Don't think it'll take much explaining-I've always had his back. They fucked him over and I took care of it.' You gotta love that," Adam finished with a smile.

Wrapping his arms around Adam's waist, the former Ape nodded. "True, but at the same time, if the same thing had happened to you, I'd be looking to settle the score just as much as T." Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on his lover's lips. "I love you, Adam Park."

"Love you too...and you know the feeling is mutual." He kissed Rocky once more and then glanced at the wall clock. "We'd better get dinner ready or we'll be having desert at midnight. Hope Jason is okay."

"All that we need to do is finish up the salsa. The rest is done and I figured we'd just put the chips with the various dips on the table. The enchiladas and tacos we'll just plate up." He stepped back a bit. "So I'll get the enchiladas out of the oven if you'll start putting the chips and stuff out on the table."

"Okay, it's a deal," Adam answered.

Back in the bedroom, Tommy helped Jason to his feet. "Let's go see if we can help, okay?"

"Shouldn't have been a lot left to do. Rock and I got a lot done before I had to lay down."

He reached out to take hold of his friend's hand, but as soon as his own closed around the limb, it was jerked from his grasp. "What's wrong with your hand?"

Tommy looked down at it. "Oh nothin'. It's just a bit sore," he said, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

Frowning, Jason gently ushered his friend into the kitchen so he could see better. "And what exactly is it sore from?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "It's okay. I just kinda ran into something with it," he said, seeing how red his knuckles had become.

Adam, who was standing over by Rocky, gave his boyfriend a nudge and a grin.

Raising an eyebrow, Jason carefully examined the injured hand. "Tom, you might have gotten this from hitting something, but you didn't just 'run into it'. Now please, tell me what really happened."

"I punched Zach," Tom said rather matter-of-factly and didn't offer any other explanation.

With a soft sigh, Jason shook his head and opened the freezer. It didn't take him long to find an ice pack, which he wrapped in a hand towel. "Come on, put this on it for a while and I'll wrap it in a bit. That way it'll keep any swelling to a minimum." He carefully put the injured hand on his chest and covered it with one of his own before reaching the other hand out to rest on the back of Tommy's neck. "I love you, Falcon, and while I appreciate what you did, getting hurt doing it wasn't worth it." He gently kissed the other man. "No matter how small the hurt."

Tommy rested his forehead against Jason's. "Oh, it was worth it, believe me. That little asshole..." he started but then trailed off. "You may as well know-I told Kim off in spades as well. I hope I never have to look at her again." He stopped and growled. "Good thing I'm a gentleman or she would've been popped too."

"Falcon, you are such a bad boy." Grinning slightly, Jason pulled back to look at him. "Guess I'm just gonna have to make you my bad boy, huh?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. I think that's the best idea I've heard today," Tom replied, giving his old friend a warm smile.

"Mom and Dad will be glad to hear I've made at least a halfway honest man out of you." The young doctor laughed softly. "Although, I'm not too sure that I'd tell her you hit Zach until after you've told her about telling Kim off."

"I think she'll kiss me on both cheeks for it, actually. The mother lion doesn't take kindly to her cub being abused. I got that directly from her, by the way," Tom smiled.

"That's why I said to tell her about Kim first. It'll get her hackles up." He laughed and stole another kiss before he heard a throat clearing behind him. Arching an eyebrow, the good doctor looked over his shoulder at their two grinning friends. "What, Apeman? You've got your own boy toy to play with."

Rocky rolled his eyes. "Whatever Rex, but dinner's gonna get cold if you two keep playing tonsil hockey."

Tom rolled his eyes right back at Rocky. "Right, yeah...if you really wanna see us make out, we can do that for ya," he said with a smile.

"I think you're pretty hot together and normally I'd love to watch, but right now we need to eat," Adam quipped. "Now come on before I hose you both down."

Chuckling softly, the former Gold Ranger started heading for the table. "Since you asked so nicely."

Tommy laughed and followed his best friend. Once they were seated, everyone started in on the spread that Rocky had laid out. "Damn Rocky, I had forgotten how talented you are in the kitchen. This is amazing."

The second Red Ranger blushed a bit. "Thanks, but this was just something quick and easy. You ought to taste some of the stuff that I really put time into."

Jason snorted. "I'd have to join a 24hr gym to stay in shape."

Tom suddenly got a wicked grin on his face. "So tell me Adam...is he better in the kitchen or the bedroom?" He propped his chin on his fist and waited for an answer from his former second in command.

Adam grinned as Rocky almost choked on the bite of food he'd taken. "Well, I've gotta admit, he's pretty good in both areas." He winked at Tommy. "Although, it's a matter of what mood he's in at the time, you know? He'll either get things going at a rapid boil, or a long, slow stew."

Jason put his fork down a clapped and couple of times. "Good answer, man...good answer. You really have changed since the old days, haven't ya?" he said with a grin.

The former Frog shrugged. "I pretty much had to in order to deal with this one," he pointed a fork at Tommy, "who liked to leap before he looked some times. Then there's this one," he stated, pointing his fork at Rocky, "who needs someone to keep him grounded. So between keeping Tommy level-headed and Rock on the ground, I guess more 'me' came out."

"Know what you mean about Tommy. You took over that job from me, I guess," Jason replied, smiling at his intended.

"Okay, we can stop talking about Tommy like he isn't here, alright?" Tom said, feigning irritation. He looked over at Rocky. "You just gonna sit there and let 'em talk about you, man?"

The younger man grinned. "I just listen and take notes. That way I've got something to use against them later." He winked at Tommy before helping himself to another enchilada. "So what about this fight you two got in?"

Tommy took a drink of tea and sat there for a moment, not looking at anyone. Finally, he glanced over at Jason and then looked back at his hosts. "Well, it's another example of Jason saving my life, basically." He proceeded to tell them the story of how both he and Jason ended up spending three weeks together recuperating. Jason would take over at some points when he could tell that Tom was getting upset.

For several minutes after they were finished, nothing was said by either couple. It was Rocky that broke the silence by getting up and going around the table. Carefully, he put his arms around Jason and gave him a hug. "I'm glad your timing is as impeccable as ever, bro-for both your sakes."

"Well said, Rock," Adam added and then was quiet again for a moment. "Thank you, Jason. Tommy is like my big brother-you are too, in a way-and I couldn't deal with it if things had turned out badly. So sorry you got hurt, though."

Tommy, being a bit too overcome to speak at the moment, just nodded and reached over to place a hand on Jason's thigh.

The doctor returned Rocky's hug and as the other man released him, he carefully put an arm around Tommy's shoulder. "Yeah well, I might have saved Tom's life by helping him out of that club, but he saved mine by finding me when he did."

Tommy still didn't say anything, but leaned into Jason and closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to banish the memories that had resurfaced.

Adam shook his head and looked from Jason to Tommy, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "If two people ever belonged together-deserved to be happy-it's you two. I sure hope you guys can work out any little logistic problems so that you can be together." He smiled sweetly. "And any help you guys need...you know Rocky and I are here for you. You both have lots of true friends and we'll stick by you. We love you guys."

-o-O-o-


End file.
